Noted this as well.
Apple shifted away from this style to that black plastic rectangle so the industry will be sure to follow suit 
I agree it would be better if it was not part of the housing but a module.
Coolest thing I noticed was the laptops KB can be removed and used with any computer using the USB interface, awesome!
Iām planning to keep this one for about ten years. If Framework makes it possible to use it longer, Iāll be ecstatic.
I have a college student this year and I am NOT planning on buying her one, just because this is still a āfirst adopterā device, and I donāt think it quite is realizing all the benefits weāll see in a few years.
There are a few design aspects Iām still waiting on updates for (keyboard!!) and a few I wasnāt sure about but now really like (screen ratio).
I think the long term issue for me will be durability. The Framework does not feel āchuckableā like a serious Dell/Lenovo work laptop would. The screen just feels so fragile and the metals so thin. I feel if I look at the screen the wrong way it will crack.
Its the only laptop Iāve take the trouble to buy a hardshell case to put it in my laptop bag with.
I feel the same way as well. Hope the v2 lid will feel better. Waiting for reviews.
Iāve used an old ācottonā case with two pockets.
I put a thin piece of plywood in one pocket, to the front, then put the laptop in the back pocket with itās screen towards the plywood, then put that in my rucksack with the bottom of the laptop towards my back.
So far so good
The thing isā¦Iām not bothered by āthin & lightā I donāt mind some heft. Iām used to the turn of the century laptop that weighed 8lbs and the power supply another 2lbs.
I had a different version of this for yearsā¦
https://www.newegg.com/compaq-presario-r3240us/p/N82E16834147043
I can handle some weight. I am not an enfeebled marmoset. Maybe instead of all the bells and whistles folks ask for maybe just build a thicker and deeper machine with a double capacity battery and better thermal cooling. I can go a kilo heavier no problem.
I doubt any major corporation would dare take on Frameworks for business use. It would be carnage. 
Made us the people we are today! 
Didnāt need a gym membership back then.
Luckily or sadly I donāt have such scrap lying around, metals and wood ??
Iām pretty rough on my electronics, which is why Iāve tended to lean toward Thinkpads. Over the years Iāve dropped them, banged them, poured water on the keyboards. Either they just keep working or IBM/Lenovo fixes them, no questions asked. I pay them for onsite repair because I know theyāll do it if I need it.
My Framework is not that tough, and Framework support has not yet remotely hit that level.
Nonetheless, over the past 8 months, my Framework has been dropped and kicked around. Itās traveled (unpadded in my backpack) across the States. Iāve developed coursework on it in a remote jungle in Belize and run zoom classes from outdoors (during the daily downpour) in Grenada. Iāve yet to damage the screen or any other part of it in the least.
Sure, Iād love the battery to run longer, but Iāve learned to squeeze what Iāve got pretty effectively. And honestly, after a couple years of use, Iām lucky if my XPS13s and Thinkpads run anywhere near as long without a battery swap, which is significantly more difficult and expensive than on the FW.
Updated Jul 17: Darn, just dropped it again. Good thing it still works.