Farmework makes me feel warm and fuzzy so I should give them money?

Yes, that’s what they’re going for. A personal computer is a machine people spend a lot of time with and develop an emotional attachment to. People can buy this laptop and gain status among their peers by supporting the ideas of repairability, being against planned obsolescence, for Linux, and open standards. Owning this laptop can make you feel as part of a movement for a better world.

Sure their claims might not fully hold up to scrutiny. However that doesn’t matter much if you’re emotionally invested in the ideas.

You don’t have to give them money as their product doesn’t seem to be for you. Your priorities are different.

I myself use a MacBook Air with a big ass thunderbolt dock on my desk attached to it. Apple as a corporation sucks for many reasons, but they make some good products.

Overall Framework laptops reminds me of the Fairphone.

All excellent points. The trajectory of the current laptop market is the MacBook. One system on a chip with integrated RAM and an SSD. These are light, high performance, and long battery life. Repairability is difficult and upgrades harder. This type of laptop is good enough for most people and sells great.

Having a highly configurable machine is the opposite of the MacBook. There’s probably a market for the Framework laptop. It fully leans into being configurable and repairable. That gives the user a bigger sense of control. They don’t feel dependent on huge corporations. It’s not just a feeling either. Other companies don’t want their customers to repair or exchange anything on their laptops and will void the warranty if you do it. Framework is the opposite as it encourages their customers to assemble and replace parts themselves.

Customization has become huge in the PC market, especially among gamers. Framework is smart to try and fill this individualist niche. The marketing works well, just like you said. I find the programmable LED modules quite charming for example. The option to buy the laptop as a kit for me to assemble myself also sounds fun.

Empowerment is what the marketing sells to their customers. Few people really need this product, but many find it desirable.

Replacing a main board like in your example won’t be financially attractive for Framework laptops. With a new laptop you would also get a new and better screen.

Framework laptops shine in customizability and repairability.

What would you even do with the old motherboard and CPU? Could you even sell that?

Lenovo Thinkpads are also good, especially the T and X series.