Will a user want to spend that amount and carry that weight/bulk for a few aps.. or for the entire library of Osx or Win software?
If the keyboard is only needed sometimes, and/or most computational heavy lifting can be done back at the office on more powerful desktop computer or over the internet to a server-based solution, then the ability to carry just the touch-screen device when they physical keyboard is not needed can be clear win on size, weight, and portability. On the other hand, if money is no object, iPad + lightweight laptop + powerful desktop has clear advantages too.
On software: let us see in a few years what array of software has been developed for or ported to ARM-based mobile devices, be they iPad, Android, or Windows on ARM [WARM]. With Apple, Google, and Microsoft (with Metro) all pushing development for these ARM-based mobile platforms, I expect the choice to become quite good, quite fast. And I suspect that a large proportion of even professional usage would be met by a selection of items from a list of "the top 100 apps used on laptops to do real work". I wonder what people have to add to this minimal wish list:
- web browser
- email client
- document/eBook reader
- document editor (Word, Pages, GoogleDocs connection)
- spreadsheet editor (Excel, Numbers, Google stuff)
- presentation editor (Powerpoint, Keynote, Google stuff)
- note taking, scheduling, project planning, organizers (many options)
- image manipulation software (Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture) [which by some dogmas, no photojournalist should be using anyway!]
- VPN client (the catch-all for almost everything else when you have a good internet connection)
Meanwhile, I will cling to my laptop too!