[commieneko]

I understand that it's not for everyone, but for me the value of an iPad is easy to understand.

I draw on it. Sketching and painting. I design 2D layouts on it. I sculpt on it. Lately I've been doing some 3D polygonal modeling on it.

Now are there desktop/laptop apps that can outperform an iPad? Yes. (Though, for drawing an iPad is hard to beat. I prefer it to my $3500 Cintiq in a lot of ways.) But the iPad is lightweight, both in actual weight and in the cost of starting to do something on it.

If I want to do something on a desk top, I first have to go to the desk top, boot it up, load the application(s), and deal with all the distractions and gravitas that a desktop comes with.

With the iPad I pick it up, swipe to the drawing app, or the sculpting app, and start messing around with something. Very low barrier to entry, and I can put it down just as quickly. It's very much like picking up a sketchbook as opposed to setting down at an easel, uncovering the pallette, pouring out some oils, etc.

And I can do it on the couch, in the car (not while driving of course), in a cafe, at the park, on a mountain top, waiting for someone in the lobby. You get the idea.

Lately I've been doing some hand drawn animation on Procreate Dreams. Very nice.

Not everyone does the kind of work I do, and has the same work habits and needs. YMMV.

I also write on the damn thing with the pencil. Not perfect, but its getting there. I can truthfully say that I've written some things that wouldn't have happened if not for having an iPad handy.

It's also great for reading comics and manga. I can't say that I like it for movies or TV. And I'm not interested in it for listening to music. But it's definitely an important tool for me.