I think the takeaway (along with the lucky discount from the university), is that the consumer needs for CPU/GPU power has not increased that dramatically in th

I think the takeaway (along with the lucky discount from the university), is that the consumer needs for CPU/GPU power has not increased that dramatically in the last five years. VR, 3D gaming, deep learning, 4K rendering, etc. are all edge-cases. The MacBook Pro 13" is likely designed without these uses in mind.