In the old days having a battery plugged into the power was a problem that lessen the age of the battery. Now a-days with newer technologies, the issue is lessened. Not totally gone..but most will not notice the difference and the impact is smaller.
Even Apple says that keeping the laptop always plugged into power will not harm the battery any longer. It is just good practice to unplug it once in a while (at least once a month) and let it drain to at least 5-10% capacity and charge it again. Then once in a while let it drain completely. It is suppose to reset the battery gauge (not sure) but that is what I heard to do.
Having the ability to plug into a monitor and be portable is the best of both worlds. Use it like this all the time. Yes..desktops generally have more power etc. but laptops now get close.
Ideal is to have a good desktop for major projects (like video editing), and then a good portable laptop for smaller projects or can handle larger projects (like the current MacBook Pros), just it might take a little longer to render but not much now..
We live in a great day for technology where we can do almost everything on a laptop (at least my creative content work).
Very needed the ability to have the option for clamshell and portable work options. It is a must!
