????當華麗麗的平板電腦在市場上初次亮相時，許多人認為它主要是用來消費內(nèi)容，而不是創(chuàng)作內(nèi)容的。誰能反駁呢？沒有鍵盤和鼠標，只能用短粗的手指來敲擊和滑動。要用它來創(chuàng)作，怎么看都顯得十分麻煩。

????但事物的變化是如此之快。我的iPad很快就成為了工作中不可或缺的工具。在過去兩年中，我每天都用iPad來工作。我經(jīng)常吹噓說，它是我最愛的電腦，即使要拿它同我功能全面的臺式機iMac，或輕薄筆記本MacBook Air相比也不例外。iPad輕便易攜，電池能支撐一整天，還內(nèi)置無線網(wǎng)絡，更不用說海量的應用，這些特征皆是它的加分項。

????我發(fā)現(xiàn)，每次臨近圣誕假期，我對蘋果iPad發(fā)布會的期待都要超過iPhone發(fā)布會。后者通常會更早舉行，今年也不例外：蘋果在10月如期推出了最新的iPad系列產(chǎn)品。

????在這次升級版的iPad問世之前，該系列產(chǎn)品的銷量已經(jīng)連續(xù)三個季度下滑。與之相對應的，則是包括蘋果iPhone在內(nèi)的智能手機市場規(guī)模逐漸擴大。這一變化模糊了手機和平板電腦的界限，并且拋出了一個問題：iPad在我們的生活中應當扮演什么樣的角色？

????全新iPad Air 2（新產(chǎn)品中最值得注意的一款）的屏幕色彩和對比度有所提升，機身更加輕薄，還擁有蘋果的指紋掃描技術。它還搭載了更快的處理器，含有更大的存儲空間。

????我花了兩周來測試iPad Air 2。最終結(jié)論是：它既讓我印象深刻，但同時也讓我非常失望。在滾動文檔和網(wǎng)頁，或加載應用時，這款平板電腦響應速度之快，運行之順暢，令人難忘。但當我拋開外接物理鍵盤，完全把它當作移動設備時，我感覺與手機相比，iPad不過是有了一塊能夠展現(xiàn)更大圖畫、更多文字的屏幕而已。

????（這應該并不讓人意外，因為我最近幾周一直在用蘋果最近的iPhone 6 Plus，我相信正是使用這款手機的體驗讓我產(chǎn)生了這種感覺。）

????與其用iPad來閱讀文章，或是在YouTube上觀賞視頻，我寧愿繼續(xù)用我的iPhone，這種體驗同樣令人愉悅。說來有趣，朋友們的做法和我類似：自從換上了大屏幕的iPhone 6 Plus，他們的iPad就被擱在架子上積灰了。

????由于蘋果移動操作系統(tǒng)iOS的最新版本在iPad、iPad mini和iPhone 6 Plus上極其相似，其產(chǎn)品類似性更加凸顯出來。比如說，iPhone的橫屏模式已經(jīng)足夠閱讀雙欄文字，而之前只有在屏幕更大的iPad上才有這種效果。

????When modern tablet computers first arrived to market, many people thought they would be primarily used to consume, rather than create, content. And who could argue? Without a keyboard or mouse, and only a stubby finger to flick, creation seemed like it would be troublesome at best.

????My, how things change. My Apple iPad has quickly become an indispensable tool for work. For the last two years I’ve worked from an iPad on a daily basis. I often tout it as my favorite computer even when I’m asked to compare it to my iMac, a full-fledged desktop, or MacBook Air, a featherweight laptop. The iPad’s portability, day-long battery life, and built-in cellular connection—not to mention the broad selection of apps—only help.

????As the winter holiday season approaches each year, I find myself more excited for Apple’s iPad event than I am for its iPhone event, which typically precedes it. This year was no different: right on schedule in October, Apple introduced an updated iPad lineup.

????The improved iPad line comes at a time when Apple AAPL -0.73% has seen a decline in that product’s sales for three consecutive quarters. The decline itself coincides with a trend in which smartphones, including Apple’s own iPhone, are growing in size. The shift blurs the line between phone and tablet, and prompts the question: where should the iPad fit in our lives?

????The new iPad Air 2 (the most notable model of the new crop) offers a display with improved color and contrast, a slimmer profile, and Apple’s fingerprint scanning technology. It also has a faster processor and more storage.

????I spent two weeks testing the iPad Air 2, and at the end of my time with the device, I found myself equally impressed and disappointed. The tablet is impressively responsive and smooth when it comes to scrolling through documents or web pages and launching applications. Yet when I set aside the physical keyboard that I used with the device and attempted to use it strictly as a mobile device, I often felt as if the iPad was nothing more than an extra screen offering bigger pictures and larger text than my phone.

????(It should come as no surprise that I have been using Apple’s new iPhone 6 Plus in recent weeks, which I’m sure helped contribute to the feeling.)

????Instead of picking up my iPad to read an article or watch a video on YouTube, I would find myself remaining with the iPhone, the experience just as pleasant. Anecdotally, friends have told me similar scenarios: since upgrading to the iPhone 6 Plus, their iPad sits on a shelf, collecting dust.

????The similarities are underscored by the fact that the latest version of iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, is exceedingly similar between the iPad, iPad mini and iPhone 6 Plus. For example, there is now enough room on the iPhone for two column-views in landscape mode, something only the larger iPad previously enjoyed.