If this were just an entertainment toy, and you’re seriously worried about making it in retirement, putting off pleasure purchases makes a lot of sense. But it’s supposed to be a business tool like a laptop computer would be. Best as I can tell, it is a laptop computer sans keyboard. Can it help earn at least as much as its price more than if one went without? If the answer is yes, then the argument given is sophistry.
I believe you'll find quite a few people who buy laptops as entertainment toys could replace it with an iPad, but very few people who use a laptop as their primary business tool could do that.