I beg to differ.

Unreliable keyboards and security chips that frequently crash the computer are feature regressions.

The keyboard issues were fixed in the 2018 MacBook Pros.

And there is no systemic issues with the security chips. We have entire floors of developers using MacBook Pros and no one has had “frequent crashes” from the T2 chip.

I know it tends to be more preference, but even on the 2018 MacBook Pros I find the keyboards terrible. Dust and spill resistant sure, slightly improved tactile response yes, but unlike my 2015 MacBook Pro my fingers seem to get strained and sore from the butterfly keyboards. I like travel in my keys.

I had the same experience with the new MacBooks - tired fingers. Ended up switching to a Dell XPS. That might not be an option for many, but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the keyboard feels. I would've gladly paid Apple for an updated version of the 2012-2015 (2016?) version, but ultimately had to vote with my feet.

I find the opposite. I can happily type all day on a 2016 MacBook Pro, but got RSI pain after an hour or so from the 2012-era keyboards.

So dongle mania and crap keyboards aren't an issue for you?

I vastly prefer the keyboard in the 2016 series even to a Lenovo X220, and don't possess a single dongle - other than a (desktop) USB-C dock which connects everything in one hit.

So no, both were significant improvements from my perspective.

Crap keyboards are an issue (they may have fixed them, but I think we need another ~9 mnoths to really say that for sure), but I really don't get the complaints about dongles.

Well, let me rephrase that: sure, I get that dongles are annoying, and there are capital-I Issues with USB-C that need to be worked out. But the alternative to dongles is "never change hardware connectors." Unless you make the leap to USB-C by replacing every single peripheral and cable you own, you will probably need an adapter. And you may say that now is not the right time, and you might be right, but again: unless the entire market shifts virtually overnight, there is going to be a period where using a new connector is annoying, and is going to require dongles.

tl;dr: I'm happy to be a homesteader in Dongletown, baby.