t's not so much the inconvenience of not being able to use the laptop etc in flight - it's the risk of their loss or damage in hold baggage. Many business travellers also have sensitive commercial documents with them which they are unlikely to wish to lose sight of.
My hold luggage was mislaid for a day last month - the impact would have been that I would not have been able to run a workshop with 12 people present, as all the necessary info was on my laptop.
Last year it happended twice (one one occasion it took over a week for it to be located) and also I've had 2 Rimowa suitcases written off in the past 18 months - anyone who knows Rimowa will know that it takes some considerable force to break one.
What would have happened to the laptop I wonder?