I'm sure it's a fine machine, but it does to me highlight the upgrade treadmill.
This stuck out for me too, plus the examples of using Siri on the desktop. I reckon that invoking Siri to say, "Send Gema a text" and then having to proofread and approve the message is more effort than just sending Gema a text. Same for typing out "turn on do not disturb".
You could imagine the argument being that there are a lot of deep settings or hidden controls that people would like to find, but then wouldn't a vector search that shows relevant settings be just about the same outcome?
Amortize the time and “focus” savings over years of using the machine, and even a couple thousand extra dollars is worth it.
Humanity is growing. There are more new people ready for their first desktop than ever before. Many young new computer buyers have never used anything but a phone.
I think the screen size alone is the biggest indicator as 24” is a step down for many existing desktop users, but anything larger might overwhelm someone accustomed to tablets and phones.
Most of the time that I've seen people encounter real problems, it's the result of overly arduous, or inconsistent software interfaces, rather than hardware, but it's not not worth re-investing in every half-decade or so.
If it's your personal computer, even as a layman, you'll be willing to deal with things like one might with an aging car, but if it's the computer you've been given to get work done on in front of customers, it's a different perspective. Some people will literally just stop showing up sometimes if tools aren't working for them, and they might be right to do so. Again though, it's tenuous how often this occurs for basic tasks on hardware that's within the decade.
When I buy a new MacBook, it WILL be to make ice cream spreadsheets. Not because M3 is now an M4. (Except for the Intel to M1 transition, I waited for that one.)
And when I buy a new iPhone it won't be because I really need a Dynamic Island, it'll be because of Fantastical and Overcast.