I love developing on Linux too, and I really want it to be the best, but it's just not there yet.
> consistent touchpad gestures,
GNOME has this.
> rock-solid stability,
Yep.
> instant wake from suspend without draining battery consistently,
Has that even been a problem this decade?
> great GPU drivers
I defy you to claim that great GPU drivers exist on any operating system, but as long as you're not using Nvidia Linux is perfectly good.
> Has that even been a problem this decade?
Actually, it was, when PC vendors decided they don't need ACPI S3 state, and Connected standby is enough. Connected standby requires support from OS, and when it was introduced, only Windows 10 supported it.
But not that Macs don't have their sleep issues either. It is a lottery, whether a Mac connected to a TB dock will wake up or not (it will after disconnecting the dock).
Why someone would purchase such product is up to their decision. They surely should know, that they are getting into unsupported territory, where nobody did any integration. But it is their money they are throwing at Nvidia.
I've been looking for a viable contender and it appears that it just doesn't exist
The Ryzens are obviously in another league altogether here, but unless we get a Ryzen XPS, the Intel XPS are not bad.