> ... cannot bring the connectivity and reliability that AWS provides.
Connectivity, you're likely right about. But for reliability... that's probably not accurate.
Most laptops (with stable software) don't seem to show any issues when running for months at a time. And they have built-in battery backup too. :)
Depending on the battery life for those old macbook pro's, that battery backup might last many hours. As servers, they don't need to run with their screens on. :)