2014 MacBook Pro:
+ Repair parts are easy to find
+ Skilled repairers can fix the logic board (e.g. Louis Rossmann, Paul Daniels)
+ Retina screen, good webcam
+ Full size USB, HDMI, SD card slots.
+ SSD upgraded to 4 TB, currently possible up to 8 TB, presumably more in future.
- Original batteries swollen. Replacement batteries broke 3 logic boards in a week due to power surges when waking from sleep.
- Not sure who to trust in order to replace the battery safely.
2016-2020 Intel MacBook:
+ AppleCare would allow me to have it fixed for another 3 years.
- No full-size USB, HDMI ports.
- I can't upgrade the SSD, or remove the SSD and recover data elsewhere
- Important chips for repair, e.g. ISL9239, are not available. https://youtu.be/gmRd9IVE6dc?t=490
- No MagSafe
2020 ARM MacBook:
+ M1 chip is very fast.
+ Good battery life
- Cannot boot into Linux or Windows, which I will need for work.
- No more Target Disk Mode
- Cannot sync iPhone over USB (contacts, calendars, music, bookmarks, photos)
Non-Apple:
- No Time Machine
- Software compatibility: AppleScript, Office, Keynote/Numbers/Pages, Skype
- Cannot sync iPhone over USB (contacts, calendars, music, bookmarks, photos)
- Generally heavier, worse webcams, non-replacable batteries
- No leaked schematics, boardviews, parts, iFixit guides for repairers.
Even though the repairers (especially Rossmann) say many terrible things about Apple, I still think the documentation and parts are easier to find for old Macs than for average PCs. It's been 6 years though, and I don't think Apple are going to change their mind. I want to be able to move away, but it's really hard to find a decent alternative.