Regarding Pen and touchscreen it's true that if you don't need those then a Surface product isn't something you absolutely need.

But I don't see anything wrong with wanting that AND something like the M1 in a Surface. They are two different aspects.

I would love a Surface Pro with something comparable to the M1 chip in it. None of the use cases you mentioned have anything to do with the chip other than if the app you need doesn't work on a certain chip (which may very well be the case).

The Surface Laptop would be a better comparison. It competes in about the same area as the macbook and doesn't really focus on the Pen and touch screen.

But even for that you could say the macbook can't do what you need because you want to play Windows games. That doesn't mean someone could buy and make good use of a Surface Laptop but later decide the macbook is a better fit for them. Everyone has different needs and priorities.

Looking at it the other way. Let's say there were a Surface Book that lasted 15 "real" hours on battery, performed well and barely got hot. I think that would be something people would love.