One potential issue I see for the medium-term is Framework not keeping up with latest innovations regarding laptop engineering in the medium-term future. A laptop you can upgrade and repair is a great accomplishment by itself - no one has done it before like them - but it is also true that others are innovating fast on other fronts. Laptops nowadays have 2 large screens, or, even better, we start to see expandable screens. See here for an example, but there are others, including proofs of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfBbxZrnZEI&t=196s
So my question here is that I would argue Framework should focus on a sideways expandable screen option for the Framework 16 Pro (which I would assume comes in 5 years time). The current Framework 16 is my favourite laptop (and I don’t say that lightly), but we all know it looks and feels like a first gen device, which is fair enough. The Framework 16 (or 17?) Pro which must come in the future, should include latest engineering innovation that we are seeing from other companies, like expandable screens. Would anyone like to see it?
It’s more strain on the hinges due to being significantly more weight, a significant engineering challenge to make it function while retaining part compatibility with older FW16, and it’s more potential faff when repairing. And that’s just dual-screen on a normal hinge - rollable tech is much worse in all those aspects.
I’d rather just plug in a separate monitor if I need one, rather than have a gimmicky fold-out permanently on there.
I always carry a 15,6" portable screen the thickness of a tablet with my Framework 16. Only one USB-C cable which I put into the DGPU directly. It’s a lovely setup and I think it’s sufficient.
The laptops I’ve seen with more then one screen always felt a bit flimsy for me. Although it’s a nice gimmick, I think a separate device isn’t that bad, and also more flexible; it can also be connected to my phone, and even has a µHDMI port.
There are plenty of those, mine’s from Denver, but Asus has a big Zenscreen line as well.
Interesting, looking forward to more views, but it seems to be an area where personal preference plays a big role. I would think a company that can’t have seamless 2 screen laptops or expandable screen laptops in 5 years will have a serious problem competing against others that do. But it may then also be an issue of preference where consumers just don’t mind and find their own solution.
Up for debate I guess. In any case, I would seriously advocate for Framework releasing some sort of secondary screen option for the bottom part (as they teased years ago), as I think it is missing.
Just my personal feelings here. I suppose it could be nice for certain use cases, and some folks may find it super convenient. But it will surely add weight, cost, complexity, and likely a bit of extra fragility and failure points. When I’m carrying my laptop around the house or whatever, I wouldn’t want any of that. When I’m traveling, it’s easy enough to drop a portable, 14" external display in the bag in case I need it. And if I was going to sit at a desk, it would be easy to plug into a dock to get multiple, much larger external monitors.
I’m sure others will have different use cases and preferences. And maybe expandable laptop screens will become popular once the tech officially hits the market. It’s possible I’m in the minority. But even if Framework offered one right now, I probably wouldn’t be interested.
I’d say the only thing that really makes sense for a dule screen for the FW16 would be adding a screen to the modular keyboard area. They already have the LED matrix which to some extend can function like a screen. I could see just about any portion on the lower half to be swapped out for a touch screen. You could have a touch screen the size of the num pad, or a touch screen to replace the touch pad, or make the entire lower half a touch screen and use a touch keyboard.
I don’t know how many people would use it like that but those are some possibilities.
I have a couple of these screens for extra view space and when one is hung off the side of the laptop monitor in the suggested manner it makes the laptop quite unwieldly and unbalanced.
There have already been laptops that have had foldout screens (which I suspect would be lighter than the ones I have) and they haven’t taken off in the market, I suspect for the same reason, it just makes the laptop too unwieldly, you can really only use it at a desk where you have the space to spread out.
I think you will find that in 5 years we will still be dealing with single screen laptops as we have now. Expandable screens haven’t caught on in phones that have been introduced with them (and that is a market that can really do with a bigger screen), partly cost and partly reliability, and I don’t see how the reliability will get improved.
Just to make sure, I do by no means mean foldable by the word expandable. I mean rollable - which is a completely different tech and if I am not mistaken it is just around the corner regarding phones, but has not been released ever yet. See here for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdsEUhxU3Mg
And I also was quite specific that it will still need 5 years for laptops - I agree it’s not there yet, despite proofs of concept and Lenovo’s efforts when it comes to laptops.
But still, interesting points. Yes, price will go way up, weight too, fragility too, reliability is a problem, and if it is so dependent on customer preference… all true.
Seems to be really about customer preference. I would never buy a foldable phone - and I would instantly buy a rollable one.