What if the iPad Pro was Apple's biggest mistake? Without the iPad Pro, Apple might be able to make the Mac even better.

Apple invented the modern notebook computer. The PowerBook introduced the hinged laptop design, and the aluminum MacBooks perfected it. But then the Mac stalled. Apple’s silicon MacBooks may be the fastest, coolest, longest-lasting battery machines around, but they’re stuck in the past while PC makers crank out all sorts of cool convertibles with touchscreens, removable keyboards, and more. And the reason for the stalling? The iPad Pro.

"The iPad Pro has indeed blurred the line between Mac and iPad Pro. As a filmmaker, I often long to have a device that combines the best features of both products so I can work seamlessly on my projects. In my opinion, a convertible touchscreen MacBook that can run iPad apps would be the ideal solution," filmmaker Neil Chase told Lifewire via email.

Apple seems to be hampered by its own arbitrary product divisions. If you want powerful, unfettered software, buy a Mac. If you want a touch device that can be used as a tablet, a laptop, or with a stylus, buy an iPad and suffer from the lack of full-featured apps, the poor file manager (Files vs. the Mac’s Finder), and the absence of basic amenities like audio controls.