Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max were the reason I paid attention to the October 2021 MacBook Pro launch. The notch got the jokes, but MagSafe returning and a smaller bezel were more useful day to day. I didn’t mind the cutout if it bought more screen space.
The bigger change was Apple’s control over the processor. It could design the chip and the laptop around each other instead of waiting for Intel’s roadmap. That gave the MacBook Pro a clearer reason to exist than another thin chassis with a faster spec sheet.