That's a very nice combination if you have a relatively static setup for the keyboard and mouse, where you can drop the iPad in and out of it like a dock and ta

That's a very nice combination if you have a relatively static setup for the keyboard and mouse, where you can drop the iPad in and out of it like a dock and take advantage of the modularity. However—at least in my own experience—if you're carrying the keyboard/mouse/trackpad around with the iPad all the time, I found it robs the device of what makes it compelling to begin with (being ultraportable and handheld). For a stint I was using an iPad Pro with the keyboard/trackpad case, and it made it a far worse tablet. The case almost doubled the total weight and thickness, which made using it much more like to a laptop, but it isn't nearly as capable as my MacBook (nor is it any cheaper). More power to you if that setup works for you, but I came to the conclusion that I'd just assembled myself a second, worse laptop (which I think was OP's overall point).