They are leaps and bounds ahead for people who want their specific formula or don't really care about computers.
Apple has always been a "our way or the highway" brand, we can at least keep in mind that 3 laptop formulas only differenciated by size and thickness won't cut it for everyone on the planet.
A sports motorcycle from 2026 is made for people who don't really care about motorcycles. The engine is super tight, performant, doesn't leak oil, doesn't give you any problems, doesn't need tuning or maintenance outside of regular check-ups. You get on it and go. And it's much safer because of automatic safety systems.
Sports motorcycles used to be for people who care about motorcycles. Breakdowns, unsafe, finicky, tuning the carburetor if you went between mountains and sea level. You didn't just get on it and go. You had to know about motorcycles if you were an owner. And each individual model had their individual quirks.
I am with you, but I similarly as the earlier sibling comment disagree Macs are like option 2, and not because of lack of do-it-all quality: just that their choices are suboptimal.
Glossy screens, crappy keyboards, sharp edges, large weight are all single, terrible choices that one has to accept, manage or tune (there was recently a blog post shared where someone files edges on their MacBook; you constantly need to position yourself so light sources are not pointing at the screen...).
They have their good sides, but I am disagreeing that they are the ultimate laptops when they so clearly aren't.
A sports bike doesn't work for every task nor is it ideal for every task neither. A diesel truck has more horse power and is more customizable, if that's what you need.
Apple has always been a "our way or the highway" brand, we can at least keep in mind that 3 laptop formulas only differenciated by size and thickness won't cut it for everyone on the planet.