Technology

Framework is great, but it's just so insanely expensive.

I was buying a new laptop about 2 years ago. A framework one cost more than twice the price of a regular ultrabook with comparable (but better) specs.

Sure, you pay more for a Framework, and you can upgrade it later instead of buying a new laptop. Makes sense, but even then - a Framework one is more expensive than 2 laptops with similar specs. It only gets cheaper on the third upgrade. Which for me may be 10 years away.

Personally I'm not thrilled about investing in a laptop that will pay off in a decade. Who knows what laptops will be like by that time. Hell, it's not unconceivable that devices like Framework will be outlawed. Or that Framework goes out of business.

It might make sense for people who upgrade often, but I don't. Or for people who don't, but are wealthy enough to pay the premium anyway. If anything, I feel like having a Framework would make me want to upgrade more often, which would be a waste of money.

I know a lawyer who just ordered one.

He's got disposable income, he wants a decent windows based laptop for his work, he liked the repairability angle.

This isn't for just tech enthusiasts.

If I were god king of (USA/Europe/Asia...the Universe), I would subsidize repairable laptops. It would save resources in the long run, for both humanity and the planet.

I can't afford that kind of money on a laptop!

I'm a Linux nerd FFS... I've never owned a new laptop in my life!

I literally found out about these today. If the price isn't astronomical, and they have a model that suits my needs, I'll look into purchasing one

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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

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.