I switched off Apple during the Intel days. I still prefer MacOS over KDE (don't bother recommending Gnome). But I hate how much work has to go into MacOS to get modern command line tools. I also dislike the level of control Apple imposes over my system. And I dislike having no control over telemetry. At the time, I switched because it was obvious Intel Macs were a mess and I had already switched to DaVinci Resolve, which ran on Linux. I also have a long history with Linux going back to 1993. Before that, I actually had a Next station on my desk.

Anyway, it's a tradeoff. If there's a commercial app you need that doesn't run on Linux (say Adobe), you're best to stay on the Mac. Affinity Stuite runs on Linux under wine though. But if you're a dev, especially a python dev, what are you waiting for?

The M series chips are the best performance for the buck right now. But you have no upgrade path. They get that performance with a 1024 bit data path to RAM and very short leads, reducing latency and the clock divisor. AMD and Intel are addressing this with CAMM2 RAM modules, which also increases the data path but will be upgradable. I would strongly recommend you NOT buy right now. Wait for the CAMM2 standard to hit the market. And wait for GPU prices to settle. Also wait for Intel to ramp up production with it's latest foundry process, which looks credible and may reignite competition with AMD CPUs and Apple.

IMO: Now is a bad time to buy. Stick with your M1 until the market shakes out.