It seems like a natural next step for a low cost laptop, especially given they tried it a few generations ago for the 13. A chromebook OS and even lower cost board than the current options (Say, an Intel N series) could be a viable option for a repairable school laptop fleet.
They already had a chromebook in the 13. I assume it did not sell well.
The 13 was a significantly more expensive laptop though; it didn’t make sense as a chromebook at its price point. I think a 12 with a further sized down processor could.
It would feel very odd to write an announcement as a manifesto about owning vs. renting and then to release a Chromebook.
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They deliberately didn’t use the N series Intel because they wanted something with a little more oomph behind it for usability. So I doubt they’d go that way even for a Chromebook.
I also think that Framework’s core audience just isn’t the same core audience that’d use ChromeOS in the first place. The locked-down ecosystem just doesn’t gel with the right-to-repair/right-to-own mindset.
I think there could be a mainboard refresh in the Next Gen event, but performance-wise I’m hoping it’ll go up, not down.
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I suppose anything is possible, but I’d be surprised to see a Chromebook announced. I think the FW 12 already was their attempt to make a laptop appealing to the education market, and I don’t know if they could realistically make it a whole lot cheaper.
Personally, speaking just of the FW 12, I’d like to see a definitive update to the plastic case that will not crack for no reason. I’d also like to see a more efficient processor, if possible. And I think it would be cool to see an upgrade option for the touch screen to get better color.
Immaterial of whether they announce a Chromebook: Chromebooks are unexpectedly some of the most owner-friendly devices available on the market. They run open-source system firmware based on coreboot and open source embedded controller firmware, and Google maintains instructions on how to fully unlock every model for firmware development.
It is exceedingly rare to find x86-powered devices with a similar level of respect for owner rights.
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Honestly, as long as they didn’t downgrade the processor to a level that handicaps half the ports, or something like that, I think a Chromebook version of the FW 12 would be neat.