Apple selling the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement is at the peril of the principle justification of the iPad—that it's *not* a computer, it's more personal than a PC, because you touch it rather than manipulate it with a mouse as a proxy for a finger.
Switching the iPad focus to laptop replacement imperils it to the befuddled product strategy of Microsoft's Surface which I liken to KFC's Famous Bowl which layers fried chicken, sweet corn, and cheese on a bed of mashed potatoes—Apple's strategy is let's elegantly arrange your chicken, potatoes, and corn on a plate that you buy a la carte so you may experience the tastes and textures lost in an inelegant mixture.
This is a great metaphor and I agree completely. That's the thing with Apple's approach - it's polarizing. I find it really hard to explain that sometimes 'choice' can ruin a product for me (this is the moment where they call me a sheep, but it's actually far from it). I am fairly certain that given the choice, I would probably end up switching from trackpad to touch and back, and it would actually change my usage patterns without giving me the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of each experience (even with it's downsides). No one would force me to use a trackpad, but just knowing it's there would create a situation where my experience is drastically different. I remember when I had an Android phone ages ago - I was excited with the ability to change UI skins, or whatever it's called. I ended up constantly changing them - one was always better at one thing than the others, and worse at some other thing. In the end, it was a pretty lousy experience, so much, that I ended up appreciating iPhone's inability to switch interfaces in such a way. But that's just it, I always enjoyed when someone - a company or an individual - had a clear and beautiful vision of their work, and I always approached their work holistically, taking the good with the bad and enjoying the work in whole. Like art.
Here's one scenario where just the choice of a trackpad would be bad for me. And let me stress that not everyone is the same, I'm not saying this choice would be bad for everyone (but then again, everyone has alternatives to Apple's approach). Sometimes I use Astropad to work in Photoshop with my iPad. It is a good experience, because for some work I still need to rely on good old Photoshop - but it almost requires me to use a keyboard/mouse as well. It hit me that when I use Astropad, I am almost always tied to my desk and while the experience is solid, one of the major advantages of iPad Pro - the ability to just lean back on my sofa and work - is lost. Let's say that there really is a trackpad for the iPad and that is works great and improves on touch in key areas. This would momentarily take away the enjoyment of moving around while working and ruin the experience for me.
You can argue that I don't have to use it, but I know how just this choice would affect me (and, I think a lot of people, even if they're not aware of it). It would create this "confusion" I keep mentioning: do I work with it or without, do I work at my desk, or from my sofa, do I take the trackpad with me when I'm on my vacation. Etc.
This is not something many people accept as a valid reason and they don't have to. It's not universally sound, it's just how I think and work. But hey, that's why you have a Surface or even Android tablets. I never understood why people spent so much money on Apple and then wished it was something it's not, instead of turning to (often cheaper) alternatives that are. Seriously, if you want a tablet with a pencil and a trackpad - what's wrong with the Surface Pro? It's a good device - just not for me. But if you want a trackpad, it may very well be for you.
But, as I said, if Apple can come up with a way to make a trackpad and still keep this clarity I enjoy, then great. Just don't expect Apple to be Microsoft or Google.
