If iPads didn’t have a productivity problem then Apple wouldn’t have to dance around that narrative and our conversations would shift more to Apples direction — that the iPad can be your first and primary device. That would be another revolution in personal computing. That iPads are so well priced and that this hasn't happened says something.
Apple has pushed the narrative of "What's a Computer", so they're just reaping what they sow.
that the iPad can be your first and primary device
For tens of millions of people it can be.
Evidence: Hundreds of million of iPhone users who do not have computers. It's why Apple started iCloud backup and restore for the iPhones — So people without computers can upgrade without losing all of their data and settings.
Apple has pushed the narrative of "What's a Computer", so they're just reaping what they sow.