An appeal to defend the universal nature of computation
For a very long time, I did not appreciate how incredible it is that the processing power of a typical laptop or desktop can be used for any purpose. Once you buy the device, you are free to install any operating system or software your heart desires. Given the current status of Windows, one can only imagine how much worse things would be if Microsoft knew for certain that you could not install any other operating system.
Desktops are also inherently repairable and upgrade-able, something that is unfortunately becoming more and more restricted for laptops (soldered on ram and storage, glued batteries, ...). While alternatives exist, their initial purchase price is significantly higher which is even more painful in an environment with high component prices. The difference between a more locked-down alternative, such as the Macbook Neo, can be very substantial.
The Boots Theory offers an apt description of the current hardware environment. The Macbook Neo is a device made by a company that has a track record of restricting consumer rights and repairability. If macOS enshittifies, there is no fully featured operating system which you can install. Asahi Linux only confirms the incredible effort which is required from (unpaid) developers to counter Apple's intentional lack of documentation. While it could be worse, the second most valuable company on earth could definitely do better if it wanted to.
We are moving towards a future in which genuine universal computers become - at best - a luxury good. Once this happens, most of us will be at the mercy of dominant market players to allow our computers to run a program, assuming we will be able to truly own them in the first place. You only have to look at the smartphone industry to see the direction we are going.
High hardware prices provide the perfect climate for dominant market players to subsidize computers which are equipped with digital locks and to weaponize anticircumvention laws in order to restrict the means of computation. These dominant players will abuse this power to our detriment for the same reason dogs lick their balls: because they can. Some will even argue they must.