It's particular annoying because windows aren't interactable during the animation, so you have to wait for the ease-out to fully complete before you can click on things in the new desktop. This has been known to Apple for over a year.
The folder layout of the system was also much cleaner and logical but now it feels like windows where data may be hidden in many layers of randomly named subfolders.
As for the hardware, the early intel MacBook Pros were extremely good for repairability and longevity. They lost some of it with the switch to "unibody" but it still was rather decent with most things accessible and replaceable (battery, ram, storage).
I think it is largely understated how much things went downhill after Tim Cook took over because people are blinded by financial success. Steve Jobs had learned some hard lessons before coming back to Apple and applied them with a lot of success, it seems all of this went out of the window and now it's all about making shiny hardware that has to be replaced on schedule preferably.
They say power corrupt but money has seems to have that characteristic, but then again, money is some form of power.