It's just odd, anything ever made with a user interface since the 80's has had a calculator app. Apple just remove features and charge more for something that is inherently similar to everything else they've ever done.
Except there are tons of free calculator apps, so they aren't charging more in this case. Your criticism of Apple, in general, is warranted. Just not in this case.
I'm all for choice or whatever, but a simple system-provided calculator should be benign and lightweight enough to be there and coexist with any competing calculator app without much drawback. Like a clock or web browser.
You can use the search bar for quick calculations. That doesn’t escuses Apple from adding an calculator app on iPad! Most calculator apps have ads or are paid
Mostly with ads. It’s easy to argue that a calculator is more fundamental to a functional tablet than a web browser is, and Apple includes one. By all means, there ought to be a market for calculator apps, but it’s pretty fundamental to cover the basics. Also, Apple already has a calculator on iPhone and iPad runs pretty much the same software, so where is it?