But the majority won't pay extra for an ipad and a keyboard, when they can pay less for an air with everything included...

I'm not sure - I just looked casually at some options and it appears one can find an iPad between $700-$900 for a pretty solid model, which includes the $250 folio keyboard. The base model MBA starts at $999. So depends on whether you want a traditional laptop or a "computing device."

yes they will

Or maybe a stand and separate keyboard. Better ergonomics than a laptop that way with similar portability.

Any keyboard you recommend? I'm looking around myself.

Something wireless would be nice for portability IMO, e.g. Apple or Logitech Bluetooth. Security considerations there though.

I wouldn't want a numpad. A track point would be ape.

I struggle with keyboard recommendations b/c I'm not fully satisfied lol.

The problem is that almost everything, including basic web browsing, is straight-up worse on the iPad. Weird incompatibilities, sites that don’t honor desktop mode, tabs unloading from memory, random reloads, etc. all mar the experience.

I have an iPad and really like it, but no, it is not.

Several small things combined make it really different to the experience that I have with a desktop OS. But it is nice as side device

I'm guessing you are coming at it from the perspective of a laptop user and likely a power user. The majority of the population just needs to scroll social media, message some friends, send an email or two, do a little shopping, maybe write a document or two. For this crowd an iPad is plenty. When I was a software developer - yeah, I had a Mac Pro on my desk and a MBP I carried when I traveled. Now as a real estate agent, an iPad is plenty for when I'm on the go.