I wonder how these MacBook pros and airs hold up over time against the usual bumps into things here and there of daily use
Touching wood, with my MBA, there are no "usual bumps into things here and there".
At home, it sits on my desk, plugged in. It does not roam the house, and rarely even makes it to the kitchen table. I never use it as a "lap-top".
When it eaves the house, it lives in its compartment in my briefcase, unless I use it on a train (haven't been on a train since Covid struck), or a table in a pub (haven't been to a pub since Covid struck), when it is removed from the briefcase, and put on one of those little tables, or trays, one sees on a train, or, occasionally, on a table, in a pub, or hotel bar.
In the day when I stayed in hotels, (and yes, no hotels since Covid, either..), the computer sat on the desk of my home room, which is where it stayed as long as I stayed in that room.
Then, when I have finished, it is returned to its compartment in my briefcase.
So, in my life with my computer, there are no "bumps" into "things".