Apple laptops are incredibly good. But I did notice, switching to a 2012 temporarily, that I only missed like... half a dozen things. It was half the speed, twice the mass, but it got the job done shockingly well. I hated the old hinge trackpad, and the keys weren't to my liking. A few apps (mostly iPad ports) had typography that was hard to read on a non-Retina display. I switched back to the 2018 and yes it was a huge relief, but I could have switched back to my 2018 model 3 or 4 days ago and that says something.
Apple is a proprietary product that you pay a hefty premium compared to other available options for.
It's getting to the point where even the most full-throated Apple advocates have to admit that things are not going in the right direction, and normies are starting to bitch and moan about their Macbooks more than Windows laptops that cost half to a quarter. They really need to focus on quality, if they want to remain a viable platform.