EDIT: oh wow, that was it. A new 10% faster processor and a new MacBook color. And the whole event for that… bizzare.
I think at this point you can bet about 80% of Macs sold are about a fashion/social status statement than any technological choice.
Gating it is still a bit silly, but the gating is not as bad as you think. The base M3 pro is $400 more than the base M3.