Hehehe Victoria is on target.
While it is nice if you are going from point A to point B and the journey is measured in days not miles you might not mind something that qualifies as luggage. And I buy my purses at Bentley's which I suspect is more a luggage store than a purse retailer.
But the thing is, a purse is meant to accompany you while you are out shopping, not traveling. It's what you have with you when you get asked out to dinner, even if not out for a fancy one. If there is going to be dancing, and you are wearing a special rare moment dress, the backpack will simply be the wrongest possible item.
If I'm going to Ottawa to stay with family for a week, I will still have my purse, but, I might also have the carry all with the laptop. And it might be inside the suitcase with my clothes and my bathroom gear. And it is called luggage

A purse needs to be an accessory, it's not meant to be a cargo container.
I went out of my way to get a 10 inch Asus Transformer tablet because at the time, biggest screen was the objective. Today I have had to come to grips with the fact a lady's purse big enough to carry a 10 inch tablet is simply going to be too big for most nice outfits. Shopping maybe, a date unlikely and something fancy most assuredly not. So I carry my Nexus 7 as my on the go tablet. The 10 inch has become my model table TV (although I can use the laptop, I am occasionally working on it instead and thus watching video on the 10").
I used to carry around my Nintendo DSi XL as well, till I forced myself to get a grip. I never get around to playing with it when I am out and about. The games usually want to much focus. I have the Nexus for quick fun simple games now. Bigger screen too.
Girls are not forced to be delicate, but ideally you need to at least be able to turn it on and off easily

Backpacks are so totally high school kids in my opinion, or persons that don't mind the fact the thing seems to scream out 'this person is single, and looking this way probably will remain so'

Hey, what can I say, a backpack doesn't make you look very attractive. It's as bad as wearing a grubby hoody.
Fine if you have a multi destination day such as school and work combined for coping with carrying a change for work I suppose.
I am dying to see a day when I can wear a nice dress, and I don't think a backpack quite goes

But I see a lot of gals out there using cloth bags as well. easy enough to carry a lot of junk as it is a bag after all. But I like compartments. I don't want my things all just dumped on a one location bag.
I see a lot of people walk around and they appear to have no way to carry anything at all. I can't picture that though. But then again, I don't have a car, so if I am out there, well I won't have left it back in my car.
I'm looking forward to actually buying something more ostensibly fashionable and more in line with decorative.
I just hope I can also find places to go where having something like that is required.