The claimed paradox is that more and more people are using 'content consuming' devices yet, at the same time, there is an explosion in the amount of content produced.
There's no paradox. Some of my favourite apps on my iPad/iPhone: Garageband, Brushes, Camera+, TabToolkit. That is just what I use personally. If you have the skills you can produce high quality results.
Certainly you cannot do as much as a regular PC. But I don't know why some people think these devices are 'just for consumption'. Maybe they just have no imagination.