general-purpose computers stuffed in a cupboard and forgotten about
This is what the Pi-Zero W was for me. The Pi4 is proving to be more heat sensitive than I hoped for, and though it's a great device (Jellyfin and other streaming services work fantastic on it), I do wonder if I'll come back home to a burning house if I leave it in a wooden drawer.
I yearn for the future where I can host all my home services off a credit card sized device powered with solar panels on each side of the card.