If you don’t have any idea how to configure a configuration.nix, you need to start there. In my opinion, NixOS is not like any other distro and if you try to treat it like a normal distro, you will have a bad time.

Yep. They’ve been using their cash and Cook’s supply chain skills to crush competition and secure sweatshops wherever cheap labor can be found. It’s been going on for years. I think they have seen the tensions building in China and Taiwan and have been making mostly subtle changes for years. Covid was an excuse to ramp that up.