It's always funny to see people talk about the iPad replacing their laptop. ********, unless you use computers in the most rudimentary way.
And for anyone who really doesn't need a laptop or desktop and can get along with the iPad... those people don't use computers seriously.
Steve Jobs said in a very old interview from the 90s that desktops aren't going anywhere in the face of laptops hitting the market because people need large screens to create things and do sort of real work.
This was true then and it's even more true today. To think an iPad could replace something like a laptop or desktop is plain silly. Here's why... and it centres on the device itself being designed to be portable and for consumption rather than for productivity:
1. The screen size is tiny. This creates inefficiencies for creation/production and lends itself only to more basic tasks on a computer... and more so for portability and consumption. Overall, it limits the kind of software that can run on it in terms of the need for more basic, simple user interfaces.
2. The hardware is for kids. Make no mistake, as much as there has been ground broken in mobile hardware, the processors and GPUs are child's play. It's a toy as it lacks the computing power found in laptops and desktops to drive more complex software and more complex tasks. In other words, this also limits the kind of software that can run on these devices and the things you can realistically do. Yes, games are great. But reality... if the choice is between say Photoshop on the desktop or on the iPad, the choice is absurdly easy, not the least of which because you can't edit photos any higher than 21 megapixels on the iPad. This is just one example of many.
3. Multi-touch is less efficient than point and click like on a laptop or desktop. Pointing and clicking is much faster and more precise compared to using meaty fingers with longer degrees of travel (arms) to select things on screen. Again, multi-touch limits the kind of software and the user interfaces that can run on these devices where it calls for basic, simple tools.
4. Without any accessories the iPad is a stillborn when it comes to productivity. No keyboard and no stand to prop up the screen. Having to buy and use third party accessories sucks. Most of them are ugly, add too much weight, and aren't integrated into the iPad enough because the iPad was never designed for them. By they time you're done buying and adding a stand and keyboard, you could be adding another lb.+ of weight. What's the point? Just use a real laptop like an Air. Sure, you can go down this road but... for the reasons above, for real productivity... you're fooling yourself.
When there's a choice between having power and screensize over something that has a tiny screen with limited power and multi-touch... something that's designed to be limited and portable... the choice is easy. You go for the power and screensize when you need it. In other words, the question of whether the iPad will replace laptops doesn't need to be asked because it's a tool that isn't designed to do that. It's designed to be a supplement to your other devices, not replace them. It's very similar to asking whether the iPhone will replace your laptop. It won't, not if you use computers in anyway that is more than rudimentary.
Where credit needs to be given is to Microsoft with the Surface. They've shown that you can make a tablet productive with a built in stand and amazing backlit integrated keyboard cover along with Office. But, the Surface won't replace a laptop or desktop because it's still a small screen with multi-touch. It's designed to be portable.
Like some of you, I geeked out way early on and tried using the iPad for productivity. After the novelty wore off, I haven't touched Keynote, iMovie, Numbers, or Pages on it since, and thank god for OS X because what a nightmare these programs are on the iPad.
It's so much faster to have a file system and point and click device with a large screen doing productivity.
