For the same price point of a macbook pro you can literally get a more powerful desktop, and a more powerful laptop. Or an even more powerful desktop, and a laptop and just use a vpn with remote desktop like a normal person.
I have a Macbook Pro (though 15") and a PC, but also a ridiculously underpowered Chromebook with a crappy 11" 1366x768 screen. Lately I find myself when I'm on the run in the city to grab the Chromebook and ssh to my desktop (I've got Zerotier set up). This is my ultimate portable duo. It could be better, but it is lightweight, battery runs full day and I have all power I need. Then when I get back I have it even better with less latency.
That's a setup I wanted for quite some time and I know it was available for some time, but ubiquitous fast and cheap wireless Internet is something new I guess, also with all-day batteries all in a lightweight package.
No. In the heyday of mainframes people would remote in, with a terminal. That's where the terminal protocols many people still use on a daily basis actually come from. Sending text over the wire to display on your terminal screen, you type into a keyboard which transmits your input across the wire to the mainframe which responds with new screen updates.
Using your desktop remotely from a cheaper but more portable device is pretty much the same model (not the same thing, but model) as the way many people interacted with mainframes last century.
Portability is not a problem, my employer provides me with a powerful laptop that I keep permanently. They are different tools that serve me in different situations.
