I think the iPad allows for a more seamless integration of the web and the world. The clamshell design of a netbook versus the simple big screen on a tablet provide radically different experiences. I have always been uncomfortable with the always-tilted netbook screen at conferences/meetings/classes. I feel more connected when what I have is simply a small flat surface that can display whatever I want (papers, email, web-surfing). That the digital content is less removed from the world makes sense to me (perhaps it was all the Star Trek TNG growing up). Also, I have found the keyboard to not be an issue at all. Personally, I take notes by hand (the process of typing them is invaluable to me). My setup is a folding iPad case with the iPad on one side and a small paper notebook velcro’d on the other (call me a craft consumer). Opposed to the clamshell design of a netbook, this setup allows for handwritten notes, checking email and other surfing as well as typing – basically everything all in one super light weight little package that is FAST, does not need to be plugged in during the day, and does not tilt up and remove itself from its environment. All of this lets the device disappear in a way that netbooks don’t, providing a more fluid relationship between the web and my world. ~nathan