There are many different possible uses for the iPad. It is great for watching movies and listening to music. It is also a capable e-book reader.
For the iPad greatly expand its abilities. But is it suitable for working on word processing documents? The iPad does not have any built-in apps for word processing. The closest you'll get is the Notes app. However, it is possible to download from the iTunes store.
The Best Free Word Processing Software app downloads for Mac: Apache OpenOffice FormulatePro EndNote Microsoft Word NFOViewer ABBYY FineReader Pro Pla.
Notably, Apple sells the iWork Pages app. IWork Pages is compatible with iWork '09 documents that you create on your computer. It also lets you open and edit documents. The program saves (and lets you share) documents in Pages, Word (.DOC) and PDF formats. The iWork Pages iPad app offers a nice set of features for a mobile app. However, advanced users will find the app overly simplistic and limited.
It certainly does not offer the same range of features as the desktop.