> $500 for something entry level but very high quality that can run Google Chrome but also a vast library of well-designed native software

A vast library? With 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage you're not going to be running much, nor storing many files created by that library of software. Also, the only well-designed truly native software I have on my Mac, which I use daily, I can count on one hand. The vast majority of the apps most people use outside of "Pro" video and image editing, are in a browser, or are Electron apps that are exactly the same on a Mac as they are on a Chromebook.

And those "media" people using Premiere or Final Cut would never buy a computer that maxes out at 512GB SSD.

This is a pretty Chromebook substitute, which is cool, but it's obvious Apple doesn't want it to compete with the rest of their computers which start at $1,099.

It's a M1 Macbook Air substitute with significantly better single core performance. Any comparison with a chromebook is just hilarious.