When something like a new tablet gets announced, the first thing I always do is see how it looks. While I’m doing that, the question in the back of my mind is always the same: “Would I carry this around?” The weight of the device probably plays more a role in that than just the general aesthetics, but it’s all part of the same package, anyway.

For all of the misgivings I have about actually using the Touch (or Type, for that matter) keyboard from Microsoft, I think it’s a great idea. Sure, the Type is probably better for what I actually need to do, but even that keyboard is barely worthwhile. The latest iteration of the accessory is way better than the last, so I’m looking forward to the next version. (Hopefully that’s not always the case, every year, Microsoft.)

The Surface Pro 3 is a great tablet and I had a blast using it, especially with the kickstand, but ultimately I knew that I was never going to replace my laptop with it. I don’t mind having multiple devices, it seems, and so if I do have a tablet, I know it has to work mainly as a secondary device more often than not.

And that’s exactly what this iPad Air 2 has been doing for the last several months. Just sitting here, next to my laptop, with a dark display.

It does get turned on more than a few times every day, but those instances are getting fewer. If I do activate the tablet’s display, it’s usually to check up on Twitter real quick, or launch a mobile game for a few minutes. It’s never for something really long-term like my laptop, even though I have a keyboard attached to the tablet, too.

The most I use the iPad Air 2 is on Saturdays, I’ve noticed. I leave my place and I take my iPad with me, despite the fact that I know I’m going to be using the device for writing and taking my ridiculously portable laptop would make just as much sense. But I keep the laptop at home and bring the tablet, keyboard ready to go, because that’s what I’ve gotten accustomed to. Maybe I feel like the laptop just needs a rest after a long week of constant use. Or, maybe I’ve just forced myself into this routine so I can feel like the iPad isn’t just a wasted purchase, sitting idly by.

I’ve gone through a lot of tablets in the past, but it was eventually my daughters that convinced me I needed to keep one. They loved playing their educational games on it, or watching movie trailers, and so I decided to keep it — for them, you see? But the tablet is with me more often than not, and I can’t help but look at it from time to time and realize that I’m not using it probably as much as I should be.

And then I got to wondering about Microsoft’s ads about the Surface Pro lineup, and how the company is still adamant that the tablet can replace one’s laptop. I’m very clearly not that person, but I can’t help but wonder if anyone out there really has replaced their laptop with a tablet. And not just the Surface Pro 3, either. Any tablet. How often do you use the device, if you own one? Let me know!