That the laptop shuts down when below minimum operating temperature is a Good Thing™. For example, the battery performance changes greatly (reduced capacity and discharge rate), and the battery may even take permanent damage when charged at low temperatures.
Also it is a very bad idea to bring a laptop indoors from the cold and immediately turning it on. Condensing water can cause short circuits (people who wear glasses can probably relate). Always let it warm up to room temperature first.
This is not a MIL-STD 810G rugged outdoor device. If you want that, buy a Thinkpad.
I am in Montreal, Everyday I got to school during winters I had to subject my laptop to -20c for 45min before coming back to a warm indoor. It's not like we have any alternatives. It's true for our phones as well.
OP's points still stands. I would add that if your product can't stand this constant hot-cold cycle, don't get in the Canadian market. If you are selling here, we can assume you have accepted the reality of climate and have factored it in your warranty costs.
You obviously never lived in cold climates. Everything outside my winters clothes is at outside temperature (inside is often not terribly hot either..). I am not about to carry my laptop in my coat, which are usually a somewhat tight fit.
Anyone who has bought hot food on a cold day has an opportunity to learn about how some containers do nothing and others do quite a bit. Even thin paper versus heavy brown paper makes a pretty big difference in insulation.
Many bags designed for laptops have open cell foam for shock resistance, and thermally conductive foam is a specialty item. You practically can’t make a laptop sleeve without an R value. So it’ll depend a lot on whether your laptop was room temperature when it went in or is warmer.
If you’re looking for a Christmas idea for yourself, I don’t think you find a better laptop bag than Tom Bihn. They have a laptop sleeve that’s practically an insulated lunch bag: https://www.tombihn.com/products/brain-cell with an air gap at the bottom that prevents damage if you drop your bag. Which I have.
Their stuff is expensive, but they’re bombproof and not Apple-expensive. They’re waterproof, including the zippers, the shoulder straps are butter-smooth, and the factory workers are paid a living wage.
If a device requires some special enclosure to work in the climate it's intended to be used it should come with it. People would find their MacBook Air a lot less appealing if it came with a mandatory carrying case. This is not on the consumer to fix.
As others pointed out, that was likely intentional. Apple designed this safety mechanism into the laptop, so they would not have to deal with such warranty claims.
Also the temperature change is not a problem while the laptop is non-operating. The alternative therefore is to wait for 10-15 min before turning it on.
This is not entirely accurate. Electronic devices are fogging up just like my glasses everytime I come inside. This is known to trip the water sensitive stickers used to deny warranty, even if the problem is obviously unrelated. Those are triggered regardless of if the device is powered on or off. To me this is strong evidence that electronic devices are not tested properly for our climate.
That moisture indicators are used as a way to weasel out of warranty claims is indeed common. But that was not what I was referring to.
What I mean with having fewer warranty claims is that the Macbook doesn't break in the first place. Condensing water is not a problem while the device is powered off, and will evaporate once it reaches room temperature.
Also it is a very bad idea to bring a laptop indoors from the cold and immediately turning it on. Condensing water can cause short circuits (people who wear glasses can probably relate). Always let it warm up to room temperature first.
This is not a MIL-STD 810G rugged outdoor device. If you want that, buy a Thinkpad.