Why not just connect the camera directly to the computer, built in card reader!
A few reasons, with none of them being deal-breakers. I primarily use this workflow when I'm not home. When I'm home, I have the ProGrade reader and that works fast. No issue there. When I'm travelling, I'm usually using the downtime at the hotel to charge up all the batteries each evening and to start editing photos. I love the R5, but the battery does not last as long compared to the 5D4. The laptop is old, which means it does not support the faster data rates for USB, so it's going to take a while to transfer from the camera to the laptop no matter what the camera supports. Plus it would rely on a cable, which I have forgotten to pack before. I have never forgotten to pack the charger, cameras, lenses, etc., but cables I don't use often....
The current laptop is one of those Costco specials. I got it for the price and it served as a 2nd computer the family occasionally used. When I got it, I knew it was slower than my years-old desktop at the time (SSD vs. HDD, etc.) but I didn't have high expectations for it. I also chose it for it's large screen, which makes it unable to fit in my preferred camera bags, so we're bringing a laptop bag too when travelling. So the next laptop will have to have fast SSD or M.2 memory and have a screen with a max size of 15 in. I've looked at the Surface laptop and at some Dell xps. This laptop will be used by my daughter who is entering high school this fall (the school systems furnished Chrome books that they use through middle school and they are awful; they are on their own for high school), so it will be used a lot. The Microsoft upgrade SSD prices are ridiculous, and they make it difficult to do it yourself, and they don't have a card reader, which would steer me toward the Dell.
I can't see laptops of the future offering CFE readers. If anything, we'll have to go to an external reader or to the cable to the camera, but as long as it's available, it gives a bit of convenience.