Thank you for your very full reasoning. My husband and I now both own the new Ipad and so far loving it. As you say the combination makes all the difference.
The funny thing is, I've since switched to an Android phone, but I got one with a 5" screen (the Samsung Galaxy Note), so I can carry one device rather than two most of the time. If not for the big screen and that flexibility, I would've probably stuck with iPhone, which is a good device. Or if they made a bigger iPhone, I probably would've gone for that instead. But I'm also really liking the flexibility of Android. There are pluses and minuses to both platforms, I find.
Good thing is, there's a good selection of devices, so the better we can all find a good fit.