> There is no way I'm going to suffer the ergonomic hell that is a laptop for a second longer than I absolutely have to

I agree with this, but intentionally choosing a trackpad to put on your desk is just accepting a portion of this hell, in my opinion. The trackpad is an RSI torture device to me, because of the way you have to hold the muscles in the back of your hand tense so all but one finger is a little higher than the others.

On the flip side, one of my colleagues was overjoyed when Apple released the Magic Trackpad, because it's worlds better for her to use with her arthritis than any kind of mouse she's tried.

For me it's either a trackpad or a trackball. I find that any pain comes from moving my wrist and the Magic Trackpad is large enough that I move my entire arm and not the wrist.

It's great that we have options, so that people can pick what works for them. It is a little sad that Apple is pretty much the only option for an "external" trackpad though.

Back in the 90s I had a 102-key keyboard with a built in trackpad (and dual PS2 connectors to hook up to the PC) that was actually pretty nice—except if I tried using the trackpad when my fingers were damp in which case it was hell. I bought it in anticipation of moving to a laptop (which didn’t actually happen for another 5 years), but it was the first step in my becoming a trackpad aficionado.

You and me both. A friend introduced me to vertical mice. I regretted the purchase for the first hour, then came to kind of like it, and now you couldn’t pry it away from me.