Was never really into Apple hardware (mainly the price), however I recently got an M1 Mac Mini and an iPhone for app development, and the inference speed for as you say, a 5 year old chip is actually crazy.

If they made the M series fully open for Linux (I know Asahi is working away) I probably would never buy another non-M series processor again.

I got an M1 Mac Mini somewhat recently as well, to replace my ~2012 Mac Mini that I use as a media center PC. And frankly, it's overkill. Used ones can be had for $200-$300 USD, lower side with cosmetic damage. An absolute steal, IMO.