Yes, true, but Intel's integrated graphics has gotten a lot better in the last 5 years, and many laptops from that era end up with ~8GB of RAM (non-upgradeable in an Apple laptop), which is just not enough for what I do. (My current laptop has 16GB, and my next one will definitely have 32GB minimum.)

I have 2016 and 2018 Intel laptops (non-Apple, but similar in "class"), and it's surprising how much better the graphics is on the 2018 model.

I would love to try a laptop with AMD graphics, but the laptops I find with AMD kit in them generally don't meet my requirements for other reasons. And I'm forever scarred by mid-'00s experiences with Nvidia on Linux, so I refuse to buy Nvidia hardware.

I do some light gaming (not enough to justify a desktop/gaming PC), and even with 2010-era games I can't run them on 2018 Intel graphics with the quality settings above "medium", so I'll take the fastest Intel graphics I can get.

I have nVidia GPU in my current laptop - I agree this is a nightmare. I wanted to use it for some AI stuff, but it's pointless - too unstable so I am on an Intel GPU. For a new laptop I am going to go full AMD, but nothing is in stock. I am most worried about the fact that I start to rationalise getting a Mac Pro with M1. I don't do any gaming, and would use it solely for development. If only Apple was more ethical then that would be a no brainer, but I don't want to fund a company that is anti-right to repair.

I very much experience a difference using Xcode, between my 4 core 2016 MBP and my 8 core 2019 MBP. Since both are base models, I think I disagree with your statement.