Someone who’s using one right now and it’s doing just fine. Reread the budget number and then find an Intel based Mac for <$500. You can’t. Your suggestion is non-responsive to the specification.
“Your suggestion is non-responsive to the specification.”
I’ve recommended an intel mac mini for that budget. If not the mac mini then any other Apple that has at a minimum an intel based machine for running the current and future Apple OS.
Although there was no current mac mini at the Apple refurb store, I did find them easily on ebay for under $500. As an example:
Sign up for an Apple student developer account for $100 and get a new $999 Macbook with $500 off.