This approach long ago became the basis for the vast majority of short stories published in the New Yorker.

WSJ: The Seductive Lure of Abstraction | Sightings by Terry Teachout

Bottom line: The iPad is ideal for reading headlines (not for longish stuff like stories in The New Yorker and definitely not for anything by David Foster Wallace) and looking at magazines or photos during my morning commute on the 6.

FORBES: My Worst Nightmare: David Foster Wallace on iPad