Upstream Cannibalization

With the iPad 3 looming on the horizon, here’s something that I don’t want to readily admit. I don’t use my iPad all that much.

Now that’s not to say that I don’t like it. In fact, it’s the opposite. I love it. Every time I pick it up, I still get the same awe factor I had the first time I bought the original iPad, and it has become the go-to device for my kids for just about everything. That said, I probably only use the iPad once a week for an email dash, to quickly check something out online, or catch-up on my RSS feeds.

Why? In what I suppose you could call upstream cannibalization, the 11″ MacBook Air I’m using to write this post has largely replaced most of the use cases I had for the iPad.

When I travel, I really don’t want to carry any more devices than absolutely necessary. My iPhone always goes with me, but of late the 11″ Air (and when appropriate, a Kindle) trumps the iPad almost every time. The difference in size between the Air and the iPad is essentially negligible, so the Air is always winning when I force myself to only bring one device.

At work, I’m all Mac. I tried last year to integrate the iPad into my workflow in the office, but it seemed forced and I gave up rather quickly.

And at home, even though the Air is not the couch computer that the iPad is, it still seems to be the device I pick up more often than not.

Let’s be honest though, I’m sure the folks in Cupertino don’t mind this at all.