I think the iPad is a useless gadget useful only for hippies and long-hairs, and my mum.
But then I tried the comic book application.
...and WOW. That app alone is worth getting the iPad for IMO. I love the "guided mode" in particular where it zooms in on individual frames. Reads like the beginning of some of the better "Marvel" movies they've made.
Lots of good publishers as well. I reckon I may well get an iPad just for that.
In conclusion: I've been growing my hair, and maybe, just maybe, it's a little bit of the future.