I don't know who those people are, so I googled. It does look like Gruber proposed a track pad:
Nice find, hadn't seen that.
Note that while he does propose one, he does it contrary to the spirit discussed here (of getting desktop OS X parity), even adding: "Even if users expect a mouse cursor when they first see the trackpad, they’ll adjust quickly when they realize it isn’t there. If they wanted a MacBook they’d be using a MacBook. By definition anyone using an iPad is not expecting it to act like a Mac."
Original claim: "There's no touchpad Yet... with many of the Apple technorati asking for one and saying it's a necessary next step"
Have actual "apple technoratti" asked for a touchpad? I never read one do so.
Have they asked for touchscreens? Some did, some are against.
In any case, I don't exactly see the reasoning.
iPad is criticized because it doesn't have mouse support, and the Mac is criticized because it doesn't have touch support. As if a hybrid model wont have all the problems the Surface has -- (touch not that useful when using a keyboard, and mouse-based apps not that useful with touch) --and presumably the kind of lackluster sales the Surface has compared to the iPad.