If it can, then my only issue will be it's size. I would need to buy a case for it and that's just more money to throw at Nintendo... but that's another issue entirely.
Don't get me wrong here, I love everything we've seen of the Switch so far and I will happily buy it... and play it in tandem...
Does the power button put it to sleep or does it shut it off entirely, closing the game? Can we enter and exit sleep mode freely with the power button as if we were opening and closing a 3DS? Even a PSP could do this. If the Switch can't, it won't be a very good handheld.
You're comparing an iPad to a video game system. What people want out of each of them isn't going to be the same. It's apples and oranges.
And you're missing something big; it's not just about whether it can fit in people's pockets or not. Without a seamless sleep mode like the 3DS, it won't...
Don't pretend people don't sit off to the side in family gatherings/etc not socializing with anyone while playing vidya gaems :P
Besides, Nintendo has clearly been marketing the Switch as a "fun at parties" type thing with stuff like 1, 2 Switch and the very first Switch trailer.
Can we stop pretending that the 3DS and the Switch are equal in terms of portability please? With the 3DS, you can open and close it whenever you want without even needing to exit the game or even pause it. It can fit in your pocket very easily, even a New 3DS XL can easily fit in your pocket...