Oh, I'm perfectly aware that it does, but like most things, I cannot say that they've implemented it any any good way. Consider the number of features that OS/2 introduced and took literal years to get back to Windows.

Not strictly true as everyone always forgets about the CMOS battery. Although I'll give you that there are a small but increasing number of motherboards that don't have those anymore.

And yes, this is pedantry and I'm well aware that you meant the large battery packs that allow laptops to be used off mains power.

I don't travel much, so due to the price/performance tradeoff, most of my computing is done a desktop with keyboard mouse and monitor, which is the way I've frankly always done it.

I mostly play games on laptop for the portability and use an external mouse but don't use an external monitor. Portability for me is like how I'm currently sitting on my living room floor with my computer on the coffee table, but I also play games sitting in another room in my favorite arm chair using a lapdesk. An external monitor isn't practical in any of those situations.

It would be impossible to use my PC without one, so... yeah? =P

We tried the Chromebook as well, didn't work out. You just loose to much of productivity.
Even the people now constantly doing support from home got some serious equipement.
I am alone in my office, I am one of the few still using a laptop (with external monitor and keyboard), because I used to travel frequently. But my next one will probably the same NUC that the other devs use.

With my laptops, I use an external monitor if one is available on desk, but not necessarily for getting a bigger screen (even though that is certainly a plus), but also to get multimonitor support which helps with my work.

For instance right now, while I am today working from my home, my work laptop is connected to an external monitor, and laptop is beside the monitor with the lid open, and the desktop is extended to both the external monitor and the laptop screen, so now having basically two monitors (of different size) side by side,

At the office I have a hub for this same laptops which is connected to two external monitors, so I use them there, and keep the laptop screen shut (I don't really need a third screen to get my work done efficiently).

Even when gaming, especially during office hours when I am supposed to be working, I might have dual-screen setup so I can see on the other screen if any emails or Skype/Teams messages have arrived, while I am playing Team Fortress 2 or something else on the other screen.

Yes.
I no longer have a private laptop, so my PC requires it.

And I only use the built-in screen and (awful) keyboard of my work laptop on the few occasions I use it away from a desk.

Whether working from home or at the office, it’s docked with an external monitor and “proper” keyboard.
I prefer the bigger screen, but it’s the keyboard that’s most important.

My wife, however, only uses her laptop stand-alone. Sometimes she uses a Bluetooth mouse, but that’s it.

I do not use an external monitor for my laptop, I would but I do not have a good place at my home to have a laptop at home set-up. It would be nice to have something like that but for now I just my laptop at school and my desktop when I am home.

Bigger screen (distance to screen incl.) = better experience, IMO.
I play on a 27" 2560x1440 screen, on a desk, close to me.

Yep, I use a couple of monitors plus my laptop, Lenovo that I use for my work. :) Can't live without it.

For gaming laptops especially: yep. I want a bigger screen w/ better performance to take some heat away from the laptop itself, of course...so tiring it to a monitor that's HDMI-based or Displayport-based can do wonders.

On my PC? Absolutely. My PC has no way to show me anything otherwise. On my Think pad? Occasionally. I have a dock at the office for it with a keyboard, Mouse and monitor. I rarely go into the office. On my Steam Deck, No.

I've kinda gotten used viewing things on my monitor; As opposed to, IMAGINING WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE WHILE TYPING BLINDLY!

Well, you *could* run an SSH or VLC (or other) server on the PC and connect to it through the network.

(It's common to do this with servers.)