Apple's new iPad Pro looks better than ever, but 2 more features would make it perfect

Back in June, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi was asked why he wouldn't put a touchscreen on a PC.

"We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do," he told Wired.

What's funny is that while Federighi was attempting to denounce touchscreen PCs, he unwittingly explained why the iPad isn't a great replacement for a true work computer, like a laptop or desktop. He says it himself: "Lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do." And he's right!

Federighi's quote is exactly why the iPad needs more inputs methods — particularly the mouse and trackpad, two of the most traditional and popular input methods in the history of computing.

There are a handful of occasions when touchscreens are not ideal — like when you're playing a game, for instance, since your hand will probably obscure the game you're playing at least partially. And touchscreens, while fun, are not as precise as mice or trackpads. The Apple Pencil is designed to solve this issue of precision, and it is extremely precise, but it doesn't solve the issue of fatigue. Imagine editing photos or videos with an Apple Pencil for hours at a time; it's much easier to do when you don't have to lift your arm.

Apple needs to figure out a way to let mice and trackpads play nice with the iPads. Even if this feature only works for the iPad Pro, and even if it's only Apple's own Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, Apple should do it. Mouse and trackpad support would make it much easier to work on an iPad for extended periods of time.

The iPad Pro's hardware is pretty much there: the new edge-to-edge display looks gorgeous, and the device is really powerful and incredibly thin.

At this point, it's only the software — without a proper file system, and the lack of support for certain accessories — that's holding it back.