I think the value of a FW12 laptop is in its longevity. The first time you buy it, it might be a little more expensive. But in 3-5 years time, when you would normally buy another new laptop, instead, all you would buy is a new mainboard to get the latest speed and battery life improvements, and then even sell the old mainboard.
You would not have to throw out the old, perfectly good, laptop keyboard, case and screen, so less waste.
So, think of it more of a whole life cost.
Certainly dealing with quality control and common issues is a higher priority. Not speaking for others, I was just saying that FW’s stated missions of fighting e-waste and big tech control will require they put the cost-spec ratio on their list of priorities somewhere.
I’m optimistic FW can figure out some solutions, but i don’t think these things come naturally. In order to invest in new technology, bigger batches, and increased production output, you need enough profit. If FW (and other modular/repairable/FOSS device companies) remain niche, then the audience is small, and so profits can stall. It’s how a lot of startups go; they get a lot of hype from enthusiasts and early investors but stagnate when they fail to break through.
That being said, i’m almost certain FW will carve out an audience and remain for the long haul. They listen to our feedback and criticisms and try to improve in ways most large companies fail spectacularly to. But having a small audience isn’t the same as fighting e-waste and big tech.
That’s supposed to be the idea, but that’s not really true, at least not directly after 1 upgrade.
the i3 will roughly cost $750-$950 depending on what you buy with it. Similar spec’d laptops tend to run for $500. Let’s say the upgrade board will roughly cost what the i3 board costs now, around $300, and a new display (because lots of us were a little disappointed at the coloration) is $150. the i3 lower end is $750 + $450 upgrade is $1200. Two laptops of similar generational-relative power would be $1000. You wouldn’t actually save money.
to be fair, what would actually save you money is something breaks before you were going to upgrade. it would be far cheaper to replace, let’s say a cracked display, than it would be to replace the entire laptop.
I think school environments where children have a tendency to be reckless is actually a great financial use for the FW. I’ve had family tell me kids tend to break stuff all the time. There’s always a few people who break a chromebook every school year, and even after a few years the OS is no longer supported. Since schools tend to use equipment for many years if not a decade or two, that would absolutely be worth it.
Now if schools can just stop using Windows/ChromeOS and start using Linux 