> It is somewhat difficult to lock your own device so that you cannot factory reset it....
Well this can happen to non tech savvy users like my wife who configured their device once and then just used it for couple of years until the day of the incident.
> I am okay with Apple's choice on this, as I prefer the security and the theft deterrence. I keep several methods for recovering my iCloud account, and I keep the receipt for my expensive devices.
This would mean market for stolen iDevices should not exist?
> Does activation lock even apply to Macbooks?
Not yet but it might once M1 becomes ubiquitous.