Here’s an interesting take on the subject of tablets and keyboards. The currently vapourous Microsoft Surface, with attached keyboard, has upped the ante this month. People have begun to wonder whether a keyboard-equipped tablet will capture the public’s imagination and whether Apple will suffer as a result.
I’ve often used the Apple wireless keyboard with my iPad and it is an acceptable combination. Some third-party covers/keyboards are even more convenient, although personally I don’t like to have the additional bulk on my iPad all the time.
Nonetheless, we can’t escape the impression that adding a keyboard to a tablet is rather fudging the issue. If you really do need a keyboard and want to be a productive writer, what you really need is a MacBook Air. Not an iPad, nor a Microsoft Surface for that matter. The Air, as I have frequently pointed out, is hardly larger than an iPad and weighs the same as an iPad/keyboard combination.
If you need a keyboard only occasionally, and major on media consumption, then a tablet is better.