If you can afford the Air, get one... The great display is worth it.
I use mine as you plan to -- Mostly for web surfing and e-mail. I also use it to show off my photo collection, and for GPS navigation in my car. (I have a cellular model which is the only one with built in GPS. The WiFi only iPad has no GPS receiver).
And, I also listen to my personal recorded music as well as streaming music and Podcasts from the net.
You'll also have to consider how much memory you'll need.
I don't have a large personal music library, and I don't download and store high memory items like movies. I picked up a 16 Gig model and have all the memory I need. But, if you do plan to store a lot of stuff, then you might consider one with a higher memory capacity.