Is it Worth Buying an iPad Just to Use it as a Max/MSP Controller?

"Is there any way for a mod to merge all these iPad-related threads?"
No(thank god, what a waste of time that would be, no offense, though, just my personal opinion...)

"Is it Worth Buying an iPad Just to Use it as a Max/MSP Controller?"
Let's step outside the Max/Cycling74 bubble, and consider the question in and of itself: Apple made the iPad as an affordable option for a computer to cater to the needs of those people around the world who either can't afford a computer or only use computers for more web-based/entertainment/data-entry-and-archive centered applications(paying too much for so little). Like a middle-road between a small blackberry/iphone-like personal data assistant and an actual full-featured computer the ipad can help a wider user-base.

The 'worth' of this device is always relative: first off(because making sure of your own survival and that of your loved ones is the most important), relative to how much money you have to burn. Do you make profit from your own job/career which amounts to more than the price of an ipod each month? then it's probably not too hard to buy and therefore worth it.
second, relative to how much you'll use it: even if you only use it for music, will you be using it everyday? or do you only make music once a month? if everyday, it doesn't matter that you won't use the ipad much for its other intended uses, you'll still be putting it to good use: very much worth it.
third, do you believe that the ipad is the end-all, be-all of touch-sensitive interfaces? then yes, very much worth it even while many others may believe that soon after the ipad, there will be more affordable touch-sensitive devices made as imitations which might even be better(the same way in which android is fast growing into the preferred smart-phone because iphone app-store is too restrictive and therefore makes everyone feel as though apple might be acting too much like microsoft).
apple will also probably touch-sensitize their laptop screens(because that makes the most sense), at which point owning an ipad above and beyond a laptop will look like a frivolous expenditure(to some extent, it already seems that way... people who already own computers buy ipads mainly because they have the money to burn, not because it's necessary). finally, eventually the ipad OS will be more like a regular computer OS and then(if you've bought an ipad early on) you will have to pay for the upgrade which will probably still not be fully functional on an old ipad because the hardware requirements of that newer ipados will also change.

the question could be rephrased: "is it worth it to grow addicted to frivolous-non-DIY technology made by companies who cater only to that addiction even while you might find better use for it?"
with raw, cold, capitalism, the answer is pretty simple: "you're either the kind of person who buys technology, or you're the kind of person who is sold by it: either way, it's always 'worth it' until the newer thing comes along at which point you'll feel as stupid as you should have all along, but since businesses like Apple make their living off of that stupidity, overall, you can also interpret it as feeling like an 'all-too-generous capitalist'" (

basically, it doesn't matter, we are all people being turned into mere tools by the tools we grow addicted to. instead of figuring out worth of something to yourself, find something you normally think of as worthless and figure out how to make it worthwhile: this is the quintessential difference behind being a mere 'user' and being a true 'master' of technology(keep in mind, though, being a 'master' of technology simply means you've finally gained control of your own materialism... it doesn't necessarily mean that you're enlightened enough to live without it).