If we went back to 1984..maybe even earlier, the iPad is probably the quintessential idea that Steve Jobs would have had for what a "computer" should be. It is a device that's pretty much invisible to the user in that all of functionality is software based (ignoring, of course, input devices like keyboards, etc).

The iPad (and iOS by extension) was built to have single purpose apps that work better than monolithic apps that do multiple functions. The problem was/is, getting the communication between those apps working seamlessly, which is getting better with dual screen, etc.

Today, I'm willing to bet that 90% of computer users could easily use an iPad and be happy and productive with it. This is why, in the last couple of years, development focus seemed to be iOS, iPad related.

Of course, Big Sur changes things a bit. Watching the keynote, the feeling I walked away with was 'refined.' macOS, iOS and iPad OS all got more refined and inline with each other in this release so users can jump between devices more seamlessly. I think we'll see progress move towards the Mac side of things a little bit quicker in the next few years because of the move to Apple Silicon.

And before anyone replies, yes, there are things you need a Mac for that can't be done on an iPad...yet. I do development work, so I certainly couldn't live 100% on an iPad. I'm not advocating on the Mac going away, in fact, I think Apple Silicon is going to breath new life into it.