For a laptop, been using a $300 chromebook. With Crostini I get all my linux apps that I use hassle free. I also use Google Docs and Sheets and Bitbucket for my personal stuff - I switch between my laptop and desktop seamlessly. I use my work Citrix if have to work from home (eg. MS Office).
Nothing on my Mac that I miss.
I had a chromebook for a bit and I really loved it but felt too uneasy with Google having 100% supervision over all of my internet activities.
I've made peace with the google privacy issues. The convenience made me more pragmatic instead of idealistic, but I hear you.
I suspect it might seem less burdensome to people who are used to it, just as I imagine getting going on Ubuntu - which feels effortless to me - might be a slower, more confusing process for people who aren't already used to it.
But while Mac might take a hostile approach in terms of hardware, Windows takes one with their software. I feel stuck. I also find linux still too janky and don't have the same patience I did as a teenager to go through myriad settings and configuration files just to get things working or looking good.