When you need to create documents (Writing, Spreadsheets, and Presentations), it is pretty hard to beat a full laptop or desktop computer. The operating system was designed to handle multiple windows, precision pointing with mouse, and keyboard input. So, yep....traditional computers are going to be better than a touch-based device, such as an iPad, for working with documents. Most office professionals spend their time working on documents and data bases, so these folks will most certainly need to have a computer.
Now, ads will show folks working on an iPad Pro with pencil engaged in some kind of creative endeavor like sketching and drawing, and there definitely are people who make a living doing this type of work. I don't know the stats, but I would guess for every person earning a living as a creative person there are 10 office slaves sweating over spreadsheets and decks of slides. I was an office slave.....so, my experience might be skewed.
So, for me, I use the iPad much in the same way as Jobs described it during the launch in 2010. It is a device that sits between a laptop and a smartphone. It is great for answering emails, browsing the web, taking notes, calendaring, setting reminders, marking up documents, reading books/PDFs, sharing photos, and watching videos/movies. Basically, it excels at light productivity and consumption of media. For many people, these are the primary personal (rather than: professional) computing activities. It's a great travel companion for business or pleasure. Finally, the iPad is a delight to use. So, it has a place.
