This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Image description: Image shows batches 1, 2 and 3 sold out for the Ryzen 7 7840HS which costs $1,399.
For now both DIY and prebuild edition (all configurations) are in batch 4 which ships in late Q4 2023.
I’m guessing Linus’s investment is safe then :)
His investment is probably part of why these are such a hot commodity.
The media presence and advertising from LMG is worth a crazy amount. His followers are the exact target audience of this device and as long as he’s showing off what they’re up to I think they’ll continue to sell like this.
Spot on. I would have no idea Framework existed without LTT, and I likely would not have clicked into the article or comments on this thread, either.
Hell yeah Framework deserves all the goodness coming their way. I have an ASUS that's serving me well for now, but I think when I go to replace it next year, they're the ones I'm going to. Hopefully by then, they have AMD boards in the smaller sizes.
Does Framework do anything regarding FOSS drivers or firmware?
I have personally used fedora and nixos on a gen 1 framework 13 and it works great.
Does Framework do anything regarding FOSS drivers or firmware?
Regarding your question they say this:
We deliberately selected components and modules that didn’t require new kernel driver development and have been providing distro maintainers with pre-release hardware to test to improve compatibility. We’re also working on enabling firmware updates through LVFS to complete the Linux experience.
source: https://frame.work/gb/en/linux
Batches 4 and 5 are also sold out by now.
Meanwhile, batches 8 and 9 have been added to the list. Looks like they did not anticipate this kind of success.
I'm really happy they're seeing good demand. Fully upgradable laptops have been a dream of mine for years and I've been thinking when it's time for me to replace mine, the Framework would be at the top of my list.
My only hesitation points when I first heard about the laptop was whether the company would survive long enough to make upgrades/accessories and whether the main board upgrades would actually work. The concept was, as you say, a dream.
Both of those concerns have faded away for me, my next laptop is pretty much 100% going to be a framework. Just need to stop spending money on dumb stuff so I can afford it...
You can also buy MiniPCs from bee-link or others with same AMD or others powerful ones for cheap, if you don't absolutely need a laptop
Great to see!
I bought my last laptop a couple months before they started shipping to Australia last year (dang it...), but Framework will be high on the list next time.
waits excitedly for Framework to ship in my region
It's fine, my current laptop has a couple of years life left in it. They'll open up orders by then right? Right?
I almost threw my hat in this ring but I must wait on people who use Linux to get ahold of it and review it. Proably an early 2024 buy date for me.
Great to see this news about a company focused on repairability and sustainability .
I do badly want to like these.. but I don't see the point.
Repairability wise mid range ThinkPad is nearly as good. Only major difference is I think Framework claims they will release schematics... and as someone who actually does component level repairs I've seen promises like this work I've or twice, but then they stop maintaining their data or pays get hard to get rendering the gesture null.
Upgrade wise... I switch machines every 4 to 6 years... at which point the chassis has a bit of wear and tear.
Spec wise I buy what I need and add a little headroom with the ThinkPad.
Spare parts are good for ThinkPad and Lenovo actually has component replacement guides that no one seems to mention or know about.
And when I do upgrade I appreciate having a complete spare machine.
I think it's also not unreasonable to assume my style of buying and upgrading is not uncommon.
This leaves the Framework very few hardware advantages and nil price advantages.
I still think they're a great idea, but I don't see any practical benefit over a sensible alternative.
Genuine question... Have I missed anything?
Well, framework has one cool side-effect of their repair-friendly approach: their laptop mainboard can be used as an SBC. I've seen a few projects use it in this way, and I believe they even sell an official plastic case for it. It's a well-documented piece of computer hardware that is regularly refreshed and can be fitted easily into slim chassis.
Oh, and another cool thing is that their screens have magnetic bezels. ThinkPads are a PITA to fix if you just want to replace an LCD panel; framework makes it trivial to keep the upper chassis and only replace the part that's actually broken. That's the real pitch with Framework: replace anything easily and upgrade your computer for only the cost of the mainboard or socketable component. Some of their newer devices have a socketable PCIe expansion bay, which could be used for things like socketable GPU upgrades.
I actually have no idea what Framework is.
Check it out! It's a great, modular, and repairable laptop with comparable prices for the specs in regards to mainstream laptops.
You can even upgrade the motherboard, which means as long as the company doesnt go under you can just infinitely reuse and upgrade it kinda like a tower PC.
and you keep the company from going under by buying their products so buy it next time if you need a new laptop and can afford it =) and make sure to upgrade whenever you need it =)
