I have an ASUS EEE PC T91MT tablet netbook. Runs Windows 7 and works just fine. Just disable all the Aero "eye candy" (which I do anyway), and it's plenty snappy.
Here’s the issue; to compare a laptop against an iPad is like comparing a Garden Tractor to a Motorcycle.
A laptop is a productivity device, essentially it’s a CHEAP display, with a cheap keyboard and marginally fuctional mousepad, tied to an Atom processor with either 1 or 2 GB of RAM, running Windows 7 Basic.
If one were to put numbers to it, it’s 95% productivity and maybe 5% leisure. Want proof? Do you own an iPod or other MP3 player? Most likely you do. Why? Well, because lugging the Notebook around to listen to music suck. Chances are you do not watch DVD’s on the laptop either, because the experience generally leaves a lot to be desired. How many books do you read on your laptop? Chances are the answer is zero.
Why? Because the laptop is cumbersome, has a short battery life and the display is miserable - especially when you spend time on a bus, or a train, or an airplane. If the guy in the seat in front decides to recline; you had better act fast or he will crush your laptop.
The laptop, charger, mouse and case probably weigh round 8+ lbs.
The iPad is a leisure device, can I do my spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations on it? Sure, but it’s miserable - unless I use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse.
Weighing in at 1.5 lbs, and about the size of a notepad, the iPad is no more cumbersome than a vanilla folder. But, reading books, watching movies, listening to music, surfing the web, writing emails, sorting pictures, editing pictures could not be more pleasant than what you find on the iPad. The OS is snappy, the battery life is literally 10-12 hrs of actual use. I fly a lot; I’m able to book my flight, hit this site, and once I’m at 10K ft I watch one of my 52 movies I have stashed in it. Or I play games like Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, Shuffleboard or a host of others.
The iPad is a leisure device that is unrivaled by anyone to date. The iPad is unique in the IPS screen it uses; which gives a beautiful picture with a very wide viewing angle.
I own both an HP 17 laptop and an iPad. When I fly, I check the laptop and carry the iPad with me. When I need to do work, it’s time to break out the laptop. But for everything else, the laptop is no match for the iPad - it’s not even close.
If you get a chance, play with one - have someone who owns one let you borrow it for a few minutes. There is a reason that these devices are selling at the rate they are, they fulfill a niche that MSFT never knew existed (which is hardly a surprise).