[matthewmacleod]

Sure, a desktop machine would be less expensive than a laptop of equivalent performance. But I work mostly from home, work in the office maybe one day a week, and often visit customer sites. The ability to just pick up and go with a relatively powerful machine is pretty attractive.

I think it's always important here to realise that people have different use cases and priorities for their equipment, and that there's no right or wrong answers. Some people are happy to fork out for a portable; others don't require that, and would rather have a fixed workstation with more power. Some developers are totally fine with 10-year-old kit, and some can benefit from newer stuff. I'm sure everybody evaluates their circumstances and comes to suitable conclusions for themselves!