Sure, iPads are more convenient for giving to kids, but a Macbook with a surface-style keyboard and touchscreen kind of moots that entire line.
I see tablets and the requisite limited tablet software/interface as a necessary evil we had to pass through before we could make full-fledged computers small enough to have the same convenience.
I think there is definitely merit to this - Windows 8 showed how easy it is to get the hybrid approach wrong, and the gestures with the MacBook's multi-touch trackpads seem to me to be a better way than having to reach up to touch the screen all the time...
On the contrary, a lot of people do find the hybrid approach very useful especially once they are accustomed to it. When travelling I take my Surface Pro instead of my laptop and by the time I am back, I am so used to touching and taping on my screen that I unconsciously do it on my laptop making me look like an idiot. I find touchscreens great and believe it is a means to complement your existing workflow, not replace it.
What Windows 8 did wrong was messing with the familiar old-school interface a bit too much, which made many non-tech-savvy users confused and miserable. My dad had a terrible time with Windows 8. But me? The Surface pro is easily among my favorite devices ever.
Personally I'm waiting for the macbook air with skylake. The macbook haptic click is surprisingly usable, but the keyboard is a deal breaker for me. There is hardly any travel and it felt very awkward, worse than the surface keyboard IMO.