Apple straight up does not want people using iPads to do laptop things. They don't want people substituting their $999 Macbook Airs with $329 iPads.
Disagree. Just look at what they are releasing in iPadOS 16. Apps can now float over each other. Team iOS is coming for Team macOS, they are closing in fast. They are developing a UX & app architecture that can easily match consumer expectations around real physical laptops, and there will be further differentiation when it hits Macbooks in a few years time.
With iPadOS 16, for 95% of non-pro users, with a keyboard attachment, there is very very little differentiation between a iPad purchase and a Air purchase. You pretty much own a laptop at that point. Yes, there are obvious performance differences, ports, form factor, battery, etc. But think through the mind of a consumer user, the OS capability differences are razor thin.
If they limited the pro software to the Pro hardware, the iPad vs MacBook prices would be nearly identical.