One thing I've really appreciated on flights is the addition of streaming videos to your own device. If it saves fuel and maintenance costs, I'm perfectly fine with them ripping all the personal TVs out of the plane as long as they can keep a selection of movies available in case I forget to download my own and don't feel like reading.
I think for most people it's just an expensive, nicer Chromebook. Everything they want to consume needs an internet connection anyway.
If you're a creative or just a nerd, then sure, you'll need to spend more money to get the specs you need.