So every dynamic point of purchase, a ton of specialty medical equipment, as well as hardware for children and elderly would be forced to use the ipad air(which is too big and too expensive)
There is no iPad Air anymore. There's just "iPad" (which is essentially the old Air 2), and they discontinued iPad minis with less than 128 GB storage, so right now the cheapest iPad is the "iPad" (ex-Air 2).
Which is only $329.
That's not entirely true. The iPad (9.7 inch non-pro) is $70 cheaper.