The version of the OS that shipped with them has an unfortunate bug when reinstalling. IIRC it doesn't brick them, but it won't get passed the final stage when

The version of the OS that shipped with them has an unfortunate bug when reinstalling. IIRC it doesn't brick them, but it won't get passed the final stage when you create your account. In any case, the solution would be "download a newer version of the OS and make some installation media like a usb". Luckily, the recovery OS can still connect to wifi, so you can skip the whole "make an installation media" step. You just download the new installer and run it. It really doesn't seem bonkers to me.