You might want that trade off, but consumers in general have been leaning towards thinner and lighter for years. Just look around at complaints about the thickness of early android watches being too big and chunky. Or the huge popularity when the first MacBook Air came out.
Given the option between thicker w/ a bit more battery life or thinner and lighter, consumers are choosing thinner and lighter.
Of course engineering is always a trade off, and it is possible to go too far in one direction. But it's not all or nothing, Apple is the one feeding us that false dichotomy.
> ...consumers in general have been leaning towards thinner and lighter for years.
> ...consumers are choosing thinner and lighter.
A) I'm guessing actually lighter more than thinner.
B) Are consumers really clamouring all that intensely for "Thinner! Thinner!", or is that a) because that's all that's offered, and b) the relentless hype from manufacturers -- above all, bendy phone maker Apple -- amplified by rarely-critical media?
Given the option between thicker w/ a bit more battery life or thinner and lighter, consumers are choosing thinner and lighter.