The AMD processors rival Apple’s M1 & 2 processors so they can be expected to handle it fine. In addition, the microphone has been reviewed as being among the very best built-in on any laptop so it might (not certain) even be usable in place of a headset in a pinch.

I had a similar experience in the same batch on the Eastern side of the US. The order is set to arrive December 1st already.

I would ask support if there’s any steps you can take to troubleshoot this further instead of just getting another input cover and having the issue persist. The input cover might be the symptom while the source is another part being slightly off.

It’s standard. Framework monitors it.

Get the Framework and I will tell you why. From looking at your profile you are going to be an Economics major and thus will need access to Microsoft Excel for at least a fair portion of the work. The Apple version of Excel is downgraded without as many features and that means things that ‘just work’ on the Windows version never even shows up on the Apple version, resulting in limited functionality and limited access to information regarding the data that you’re working with.

Worth noting that this may vary from university to university regarding exactly how much Excel exposure you have. It is important to know going into the workforce though.