(I was like you and still am, by the way... I don't find tablets comfortable. I only bought one once, and I think the number of times I actually used it can be counted with both hands).
Many journalists will have their MacBooks prized out of the cold dead hands.
I travel with my laptop and my iPad Pro never leaves the couch.
And how close to most working artists’ realities are those slick Apple keynotes showing sexy young people drawing with their Apple Pencil? I don’t know. Artist is a broad term.
Yes, artists is a broad term, just like developer isn't a UNIX guy doing containers.
But no, iPads did not replace laptops for the majority of people. Phones maybe, but not so much tablets.
Again if unless you are very young or old, and/or your profession significantly benefits from a portable touch devices (artistry, home remodeling, etc.) it’s a niche.
By who?
The iPad introduction explicitly presented the iPad as a complementary device situated between the smartphone and the laptop.