The Framework Laptop is a flexible, upgradable, and repairable notebook PC that promises to revolutionize the computer industry by demonstrating that products may look great, perform well, and still be fixed at home.
This new laptop, which was unveiled by US company Framework Computer, has a similar feel to the outstanding Fairphone and offers customization possibilities and the chance to upgrade individual components as opposed to replacing the entire machine. Even the sole screwdriver you will need to disassemble it is included in the box.
The DIY version of The Framework costs £769 and comes with the bare essentials of the system; you must provide your own RAM, storage, and operating system. Windows-based pre-built laptops start at £999.
Customers of Framework’s namesake laptop were promised that they would feel confident enough to handle practically any hardware issue on their own. If all you need is a T5 screwdriver and some perseverance, component replacement shouldn’t be left to the discretion of specialized service personnel.
The company sent along a replacement board that could be installed into the model from the previous year when it debuted its new 12th-generation Intel Core mainboards. It made sense for us to test Framework’s claims because we don’t think of ourselves as very confident DIYers.
As demonstrated in the video below, laptops are still not at the point where parts can be removed like Lego bricks. However, we believe the industry is missing an opportunity by not standardizing the connections to make it much easier to assemble these parts.
The ZIF connectors were one of the toughest obstacles, though, and for a moment we questioned whether we were really cut out for tech writing. Although the tiny lay-flat ribbons are fantastic for saving space, they are a pain to use if you have large hands or impaired vision.
However, as we said when the new hardware was unveiled, it’s encouraging to see how simple this stuff can be, more or less, if businesses put in even the tiniest amount of effort. We managed to talk to the camera while doing this, which undoubtedly caused us to move more slowly. And if we can do it, you can too, right?
