I don't think many people blindly hate Apple, but it's fair to point out your Catalina install is obsolete.
If I could install Linux on the Neo, I'd probably buy one. My daily-driver is also from 2012 (XPS L321X). It's not hobbled by the OS like your Air or the Neo, however, and happily runs the latest release from Debian.
> I don't think many people blindly hate Apple
40 years of being on the receiving end of that hatred says different.
A lot of people really hate Apple. I am not one to judge the validity of their rancor. It tends to be more complicated than "Napster Bad; Beer Good.".
But there is no question that it gets nasty, personal, and very, very tiresome.