Upgradeability…nope. Repairability…good luck with that. (Read as: Don’t buy it)
Price: $993 CAD
I feel bad just for even thinking about it…as it’s a lease-on-the-way-to-landfill unit. But it’s such a cheap 1260P unit.
On a serious note though, how can Framework compete in this pricing bracket?
I would be lying if I say I’m not even tempted… For comparison, the 1260p mainboard from Framework is $909 CAD. …and I have to install that myself…
With a price tag of $1000…and getting a whole new usable laptop, if you don’t need more than 16GB RAM. From that perspective, the ‘lease’ model seems to have a lot of bang.
Don’t mean it to come across like that. Forget about the laptop model…it’s meant as an actual example to ask…whether the Framework pricing model makes sense.
It’s almost like that Intel vs AMD power / performance graph…there’s a point where the lease model has an advantage over the upgradability model.
I think the advantage of the Framework laptop suits those with higher spec requirements. e.g. 32GB+ RAM, 1TB+ storage.
For lower requirements, those dumpster units are dirt cheap.
I wish Framework can span out and compete in that sub$1000 / lower spec market sector…but maybe that’s not until Framework has grown larger, matter of scale?
Like, for my wife & my mom, they don’t need anything beyond 16GB of RAM, 512GB storage is more than enough. I can see myself getting them a sub$1000 Framework laptop if that ever exist. That would accelerate Framework adoption rate. Hell, they don’t even need a 1240p. Would it be possible for Framework to have something like an i3-1220P…for $1100 with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage? That could great if it’s possible…for entry level units.
The current non-DIY units:
i5-1240P (8GB RAM, 256GB storage) - $1369 CAD
i7-1260P (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) - $1899 CAD
Gap of $530 for a processor jump and extra 8GB RAM, extra 256GB storage.
Would that open the Framework laptop to more of the market, general home users? That way, people will be buying into the platform, the ecosystem at a lower entry fee.
imo Framework doesn’t need to compete in this pricing bracket- a laptop isn’t determined purely by the CPU.
Of course people could buy older models second hand and likely reach around this price point.
It would definitely be cool to see a lower priced framework, and hopefully as they grow the cost will come down a bit, and offering a lower end model would be cool, so you can trade performance for reparability instead of trading cost.
Unfortunately, framework must be fighting a bit of an uphill vs comparable machines. there is a lot that has gone into it to give it such nice reparability, but I’m sure it comes at a cost. a dozen magnets for the bezel is more expensive than a strip of glue, all the connectors for non-soldered RAM, even all the labeling inside the laptop and pull tabs on connectors will add up a bit.
They don’t have to be the only laptop ever sold. They only need to sell enough to survive. System76 seems to do well enough for themselves, even though I’ve yet to see one in person, or hear anyone talk about them outside of niché forums. Framework just needs to carve their section of the market. I wouldn’t buy that Lenovo. If I had to rebuy a Framework I would. It’s that simple.
I said it elsewhere and I’ll say it again. Framework needs to take a page out of Apple’s book and keep older models in the store at a lower price point. The fact that the units are upgradable means that consumer’s wouldn’t even necessarily feel like they were wasting money by purchasing older models. Framework can take in older mainboards and give a small trade in credit towards a newer board and then use the same chassis and parts to manufacturer/refurbish those older boards into a new product. They don’t need to pay to keep manufacturing older boards and when the boards truly are obsolete they can pay to recycle them. More money from the same cost of manufacturer and closing the product lifecycle. It’s a win-win and allows Framework to penetrate these lower market-tiers without hurting profits. I really wish Framework had the capital to implement such a buyback program.
@GhostLegion totally agree there, I have a friend who is buying a new laptop, and the 12th gens are a bit too much for his budget, if he could still get a 11th gen i5 he might have gone for it (and also not need to wait for the next batch)
That being said this is probably also teething pains as framework shores up their supply chains. given the number of spare parts listed as coming soon, I’m guessing they are needing to do everything they can to make sure the 12th gens are going out the door, and are lacking resources to support supply of the older gens.
Framework is a relatively small business with limited resources.
Pricing is almost certainly governed by the margin they need from each laptop in order to cover expenses, grow somewhat, and make a profit.
Unlike larger companies, selling more product at a lower price might not really help them accomplish this. The worst thing they could do would be to try to compete as a commodity, with near-zero margins; they’d be eaten alive by the competition.
I think they’re handling growth and pricing pretty well: Framework provides a unique, differentiated (repairable) product at a competitive price. Customers who value the uniqueness of the product will purchase it.
Framework’s honestly a pretty cheap option if you go for used parts. In USD, I can build my own eBay Special™ i5/16GB/1TB/4 Type-C for $950 or so – meanwhile the Surface Laptop 4 is $1,000; the HP 13.5" offering is $950; Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is $1,550; you pretty much have to jump down to the Acer units that the Framework inherits its screen from to get a cheaper price, at $900 MSRP. And that has half the LPDDR4X and half the SSD space at 8/512 and an 11th gen i7. I’m willing to say that FW is a pretty great value considering the theoretical longevity – would you prefer $1300 every three or four years or $600 every decade?
$1300 every three or four years gets you a newer unit all together (e.g. you don’t have to worry about battery degradation, display panel powered-on hours - (panel aging)…and newer processor, new connectivity…if any).
$600 every decade…is that just for one board swap?..and so your battery is 10 years old? Display panel is no longer accurate? Storage and memory are 10 years old…and your 10-year newer board still supports them? I’m not sure what the $600 / decade is for.
