Technology

I was looking for a new laptop recently and considered framework, exactly because of repairability/upgradeability. They are just too expensive for what you get, buying used enterprise model is a lot more economical and powerful. I ended with thinkpad p1 gen 5 that was essentially new with 64 RAM, rtx 3080 ti laptop for ~$1100. And you can replace everything easily but the motherboard.

speaking of Framework. did anything turn out of their "big tent" approach as they were saying it? was there any continuation of that thing?

for those who have no idea, there was some controversy around Framework when they were collaborating with omarchy and its founder of some specific beliefs

How much? With what money?

Come now, these products that cost 3x what they should don't get to claim it did not work out due to lack of demand. No one has pissing away money anymore and products made for some odd not rich but well off tech people is just not going to happen.

I have bought and returned 2 framework laptops. They are repairable but they are also questionable build quality.

The screen on the Framework 12 is very subpar and the size and weight throw it out of being a light laptop.

Despite saying how good Linux support was running NixOS on the replacement Framwork 13 was not great either. Wireless drops and countless reports of drops on their forums with zero responses or workarounds. Most people buy replacement wireless adapters cause the one Framework ships just doesn't work.

On top of that the laptop just feel cheap with a steep price. I have hope for the new Pro, but we'll have to see if it's any good because so far I am pretty dissapointed with Framework.

That’s because they’re really expensive and actually quite mediocre. I really wanted to love my framework, but the build quality is way worse than the price tag would suggest.

I would gladly buy one, if i had disposable income.

I would love to have a Framework laptop. Those things are awesome as hell.

Unfortunately, my very old laptop that I've torn down and repaired over a dozen times is still kicking. And spending $100 to fix it is cheaper than spending a gazillion dollars on a new Framework.

Well, so far I've been fine with below €200 used ThinkPad. The gold standard of Linux computing.

My Thinkpad X1 Carbon 6th Gen is quite repairable thank you very much, and it was like 400 bucks, and it comes with an i7, 16gb of ram, and a 256gb ssd. It's only marketing that has people convinced they will fall behind unless they have the latest and greatest.

TLDR: Fuck "AI"

I was in the market for a 14'' work laptop and I so DESPERATELY wanted to buy a Framework but I couldn't thanks to a combination of all the AI bullshit driving up memory prices, Framework still being on the Series 1 Intel Ultra chips, and their global availability not quite being there (this bit is understandable for a relatively new company). I ended up buying a base 14'' MacBook Pro M5 even though I wanted to stay on Linux simply because it was the only thing with good perf, crazy good battery, and good build quality that was priced semi-reasonably even though it's on the opposite end of the repairability spectrum.

Even now a comparable Framework (Intel Ultra X7 358H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) costs ~$150 more than what I paid for my Mac, assuming I can even get it shipped to where I am, and the regional pricing/taxes doesn't push the price higher. Kinda crazy because it's on the more reasonable side of things if memory serves. Dell XPS costs even more.

I hope this memory crisis gets sorted because I never thought I'd see the day that Apple became the budget option. Maybe I'll sell my Mac and get a Framework then because as much as I love using the Mac, I still hate being at Apple's mercy if anything breaks or if I need an upgrade.

It would be very wasteful to get rid of my current laptop to replace it with a Framework.

They are just too expensive, and it's hard to justify that price when popular brand have models with good level of reparaibility. For example the new Lenovo T14 Gen 7 got a 10/10 on iFixit.

Honestly, why would I spend thousands on a framework, when I can spend 3x less or more, with a used thinkpad, that is already fairly repairable?

If I was rich, sure, I'd buy a framework in a heartbeat, but am not rich, yet . . . . . . .

This may seem weird but I dislike the aspect ratio of their screens.

I have a desktop with 16:9 monitors and a laptop with 16:10.

Those are close enough that your workflow doesn't really change. But 2:3 is different enough it makes a difference.

That and for what they are they're crazy expensive. So I went for a Slimbook (kinda the Spanish version of Tuxedo). They're not perfect but I found them "good enough".

They value a laptop that excels at providing value for money, a compact design, battery life, and brand familiarity.

Value for money on what timescale? Most seem to only think about the price vs the functionality a few days after purchase. Longer term, the ability to upgrade and repair components instead of pitching the whole thing would be higher value for money, but that's not how most consumers think.

A compact design is nice, but not the be-all-end-all if Framework can get in a reasonable size/weight range.

Battery life is an oxymoron here... the main issue I have with laptop battery life is after a few years of use it dwindles, eventually to zero. When the battery isn't replaceable, or is a proprietary form factor which costs nearly as much as a new laptop - that results in horrible battery life and value for money performance, but does generate new unit sales for non-repairable laptops.

I got a Framework 13 that originally came with an 11th Gen Intel mainboard in it for free. It suffered a mainboard failure.

Swapped the mainboard with a Ryzen board, installed some used DDR5 from eBay and reused all of the other components. Now I have a Framework 13 for around $500 and it's likely the last laptop I'll ever need to own, if I can keep upgrading it every few years.

Framework's whole thing is upgradable laptops. The increased cost is what you pay for the upgradable platform instead of buying a new laptop.

Repairability has already been proven multiple times by several OEMs like Lenovo.

Even if the repair process itself becomes tedious, the mark of a quality OEM is offering parts and schematics that allow repair shops to disgnose and fix broken machines.

Unlike Apple, which actively prohibits their vendors from selling any parts to anyone except Apple.