I think the best part of the iPad is the ergonomics of it. I basically have all the power of my laptop web browsing (Jump app) and watching videos (Air video) but I'm not confined to a desk or having to put it on my lap and sit down like a laptop. I can change positions and move around easily and I can tell it is so much better for my body than a laptop.
I'll agree that it can be awkward in bed. Either you hold it up laying on your back or out it down and prop your head up or lay down flat on your stomach and use it flat in front of you. Only the last one I find comfortable. Holding it up can get tiring on the arm, the laptop wins here as it had the bottom hinge to prop on your chest to hold it up. On your side with neck up I feel is very bad.for my neck.
Also it was definitely awkward before I got the Apple case, which makes a huge difference. Much more easily grippable and the angled feature is very nice.
Btw, seriously if you have a strong network and a fast Windows computer I highly recommend using Jump. Go thru your local area ip, with the port forwarded, use RDP, use 1024x768 res, use HQ fonts and nothing else, play sound thru iPad, make your scroll bar wider with Microsoft Origami, set taskbar to left and auto-hide, use in landscape and lock screen but keep pointer and muse circle on... and it's super super win for web browsing.
I never use Safari or iCab or Atomic now, just Chrome on my laptop through Jump. It is nicer to have a dedicated machine you can use for Jump only as changing settings on the computer could be a pain. That's how I do it and it's soooo wonderful. Jump in this setup is so fast, much faster than Safari on iPad. Scrolling is less smooth but you can get around faster with the wide scroll bar from Origami. For reference, videos through Jump play about half to a third speed than normally, but that's really good for other tasks like browsing.