I use my iPad at work and home. In the last week I have:
1. Attended a meeting where all the docs were emailed as PDF’s before. I viewed the docs and made notes right on the screen. When done, I forwarded the marked up PDF to my co-workers with just a couple of clicks.
2. Pulled up pricing from a supplier while a customer was sitting with me. Created a quote with that info and sent it to their email before they even left my showroom.
3. Checked the status of orders placed with multiple vendors.
4. Created a quote in response to an email request, complete with a mock up of their shirt.
5. Took dozens of payments using Square.
6. Reviewed Receivables with the QuickBooks app.
I could go on, but my iPad is DEFINITELY more than a toy.
Likewise for me. I'm helping a friend by rewiring part of his home. Using my iPad 2, I snapped numerous pictures of his existing wiring from the circuit box in his garage, up his stairs and into his kitchen. I then used a drawing program, to draw wire runs on the pictures. Took measurements of the runs, and "wrote" them on the pictures, added them up and wrote up a parts list of supplies. Then I emailed the pictures to him via the mail program, along with a writeup. All in ten minutes. This included sketching drawings on a picture of his kitchen where I'll build a custom cabinet for his laptop computer and wire connections. The iPad is a fantastic tool, far more useful for this handheld portable work than a laptop could do. No keyboard or mouse necessary, just used my index finger on the screen.