I disagree. It would make sense but most people don't care that cheapo laptops come with crappy screens. I see it all day at work. There are a lot that still have old 15" lcds with 1024x768 resolution. Other run that resolution on 19" 1280x1024 screens and it looks terrible.
They don't care and they don't know better.
But your own statement shows that the average consumer doesn't care for 1080P resolutions on a laptop, hence they have little reason to choose a desktop with 1080P/1200P/1600P for the sake of a better quality screen/resolution.
I work on a laptop every day and I still don't feel that there is a real need for a 1080P 15inch screen in a laptop for most people. In fact, that resolution can often be too demanding on the eyes if you are using a laptop for 9-10 hours a day. Higher resolution is great for media content but eventually things just get very small for productivity. That's how I feel. Besides, myself like a lot of people who care about productivity at the office are connecting our laptops to a dedicated LCD monitor and use that instead. When I am not at the office, I use my laptop and don't really miss 1080P resolution.
I think people have this idea that you need a "retina" style display (i.e., insanely high PPI). Would I want a retina style display on a laptop? Sure if there is no performance premium. That's not to say I won't use a laptop without a retina display. It sounds to me like you won't use any laptop with 1366x768 resolution since it's unacceptable. I think that resolution is perfectly fine for a 13 inch display. I also find 1920x1080P great for a 37 inch display, so my standards are probably much lower than yours.
Most modern laptops are are heavy, come with a crappy 1366x768 16:9 screen and last for about 2 hrs. Eg the typical 500$ warehouse laptop.
But what good desktop can you buy for $500 with a monitor? Why limit us to $500 laptops? I am pretty sure a person is faced with a decision: Desktop + Monitor using at home vs. Laptop that they can use anywhere. The world is changing. Under such circumstances, most people are now choosing a laptop that's more versatile and is fast enough for just about anything. You can get plenty of models for $750 that are excellent. Lenovo even has rapid-charge technology that gives you 80% battery charge in about 30 minutes. You can always get a spare battery if you really need 13 hours of battery life.
I just think your requirement for very high resolutions puts you in the minority. I mean, remember a laptop = portability. So if you really valued portability, you'd
easily sacrifice 1080P for it.
You are also focusing way too much on features. Modern consumers are becoming more concerned about the "user experience". OS/battery life/form factor & slick looks/portability are far more important than having an 8-core GTX580 SLI 2560x1600 15 inch screen laptop for 99% of people who want a laptop.
You have a 2.3 lbs offering from apple for $1000 in the MacBook Air. You want thin and light, you have it. 5 years ago something like this would have cost $3000-4000.
Some of my friends share a 17 inch laptop in their living room with 2-3 members in the household. They are well aware that a desktop is way more powerful for the same amount of $, but a laptop fits their needs much better since it takes up far
less space.