Ipad vs laptop

if all you do is netflix and web surfing- then get an ipad.  But, it's not a laptop.  typing on it is much slower (but you can get a bluetooth keyboard).  Also, the aforementioned items.

alternate suggestion:  Macbook Air. 

Is it possible to open to view pdf, doc, xls files on I-pad if the file is attached to an e-mail?

my wife has a laptop that is running on it's last months and she was thinking about an i-pad as well, but she has a lot of docs that she saves on her laptop, not much editing, but she opens and saves then all the time. 

Yes it will open PDF files im unfamiliar with xls files so cannot say. It will not play Flash videos/games too. Im thinking about getting the ipad with a bluetooth keyboard. Cool thing I can also connect it to my wifes Mac Book and use her itunes and also can send it to the Apple TV if I end up getting that.

I love my iPad but there are some major issues (and I am amazed Apple doesn't fix them):

1. No Flash - I couldn't watch the Ironman this last Saturday on my iPad. I had to do it on my bulky laptop - I was not happy

2. No USB - as mentioned - you cannot upload a Garmin, and amazingly this prevents you from using a iPod. If I only had an iPad there is no way to have the iPod sync to iTunes. Apple really rubs me wrong when you think how stupid that is.

3. You cannot load anything that isn't an app onto your iPad. I use Act! contact database software for work and would love to load this onto an iPad but they don't have a compatible version. This and many many other software applications just cannot run on an iPad.

If you truly are only going to surf & use Netflix - iPad all the way. And if you are only doing that you can go with the cheapest 16GB model.

If it's one or the other I'd go for the laptop, and get the lightest one possible given budget and other constraints. I have an iPad and iPhone, and I find the iPad only useful for surfing, email, and eBooks. No USB and needing to buy a new printer that supports AirPrint are two major shortcomings to be aware of.

Now, my son was given one when he started college and only uses the computer for writing longer papers or Powerpoint. All his textbooks are on the iPad and almost all assignments are done on the iPad and emailed.

We are a apple family, my wife has the Ipad - it is not a computer - there are some things I wish it would do but it is just not there, so I will not buy one yet until that changes - now with the introduction of Icloud they are moving closer with documents being updated and push to all devices etc.  But still not a computer

HOWEVER - if you want computing power go with the Mac Air, has everything you would need 

iPad's are a great companion to a computer/laptop, but I don't think it's there yet for a true replacement.  Even silly things like the browser not letting you hit enter working on BT get annoying real fast.

No Flash and No USB port are also pretty big.

I love my iPad and use it all the time, but I still use my laptop for most things.  The biggest advantage of an iPad (in the business world) is that it's socially acceptable to bring an iPad to a meeting and take notes on it whereas it's generally considered rude to have your laptop open in a meeting.

I just got an Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. Android based.

USB, flash player, Documents to Go so I can create, edit & view Microsoft Office docs.  Came with a keyboard folio.

The only negative to replacing a laptop that I've found so far is everything has to be an app to load onto it.