It’s a big week at Framework! The first set of production Framework Laptops have just landed in the United States to be prepared for shipment later this month. We couldn’t be happier with the quality and the performance of the final product, and we can’t wait to get it out to you. We’ll be sending a notification email out to pre-orderers about a week before shipping each order for final confirmation. Pre-orders are currently open, with all configurations of the Framework Laptop available for August shipment with only a fully refundable $100 deposit due today.
Respecting your Right to Repair
The Right to Repair is getting well-deserved attention this week, and we’re doing our part to drive the movement forward. With the Framework Laptop, we’re happy to prove that you can have a fantastic, high-performance product in a sleek form factor that is still incredibly easy to upgrade and repair. We publish step-by-step repair guides to make that straightforward, whether you’re a DIYer or someone who has never seen the inside of a computer before. The first guides are up on our website now.
We made a range of design decisions right from the start to prioritize repairability. The base of the Framework Laptop is secured with five fasteners that are visible rather than being hidden under rubber feet. These are captive with the housing, meaning when fully unscrewed, they stay attached so you don’t lose them. There are a few spare fasteners inside the bottom cover too, just in case. Each module inside the system is clearly labeled and has a QR code that can be scanned with your phone to point you to information or replacement parts. By keeping our designs compatible from year to year, we’re also able to support the Framework Laptop with ongoing upgrades and original parts availability.
To show just how much we care about your right to repair your products, we include a Framework combination screwdriver and spudger inside the box with each Framework Laptop. It is the only tool needed to swap any part of the system. If you have an in-warranty issue, in most cases we’ll send you the modules you need rather than going through a more time-consuming process of taking your full product back for repair. Outside of warranty, you can still order replacement parts whenever you’d like.
To handle the rare situations in which deeper electrical repairs to the mainboard are needed outside of the warranty period, we’re also making schematics and assembly drawings available to repair shops. Repair shops that get Framework products in can reach out to our support team to sign a form for access. This philosophy has been frustratingly missing from most of electronics, and we’re excited to build a computer that is truly yours to do what you want with.
Thanks for actually giving out the schematics and assembly drawings, that is awesome.
That means the motherboard is actually repairable, not just replaceable!
Will you release a list of generic parts/components that we could source from Mouser, DigiKey, etc. in case of logistical issues ordering direct from you?
I understand the logistics and paperwork and hours are difficult, but is there a possibility for an estimate when pre-orders open up in other territories? (Netherlands for me)
Just my two cents as someone who’s looking at the Framework laptop as a replacement for my aging T440s but has no money right now, I’d love it if the schematics were also available for all users. While replacing the screen on my T440s, I (presumably) plugged the connector in wrong, which blew a fuse on the mainboard. I fixed it by testing each of the 0402/0201 fuses manually and then replacing the dead one with a slightly bigger part and a value based solely on my educated guess. If I didn’t do this fix, I’d definitely be using a different laptop now and the whole process would have been much easier and safer if I had access to a boardview/schematic. I might not have had to test as many fuses and I would actually have gotten the correct part instead of guessing “2A ought to be about right”.
Later on I discovered that the schematics for the T440s (or a similar model) actually leaked on the internet and that I could have used them, so I suppose the same would happen with the Framework, but I don’t think it’s right to have to rely on leaked files of dubious legality.
@ctl I know you don’t want to give us any false hopes regarding availability dates/regions and I truly appreciate the consistency, patience and transparency in which the Framework team interacts with the community here. If it were up to me though, I’d tell you to give me any oh so wishful estimates; at this point I think I’d rather live with delays than vagueness…
Second the thought about schematics/boardviews. There’s no point in limiting access if repair shops are able to have access to it. That means it will get leaked, and any sort of competitive moat that would protect your product is basically useless.
Not to mention that schematics get leaked on the internet sooner or later anyway. What I seen from Louis Rossmann is that he harvests components from donor motherboards. Perhaps repair shops will be able to buy specific components from you?
While before end of year is not really a solid time frame, it does give me some more time to save up for it.
I don’t have a large budget for new electronics, which is one of the reasons besides the openness of the laptop. If I can spend a (for me) large amount now, but it means the laptop should truly last a good decade maybe with a little amount spend now and then, that would be a massive bonus.
I do wish you were not using FedEx… They have been dismal on their delivery tracking and forecasts in the last few years.
Never mind shipping a box from Seattle to NJ, down to Texas, over to Utah, back to NJ and then back to Seattle… Until finally getting it to me here in Bellingham WA, 90 minutes North of Seattle. A full month after the promised delivery date… On a 2nd day package correctly addressed.
I do have serious concerns about them doing it right.
UPS on the other hand has been perfect, just saying…
Just watched the beginning of the codeHusky two and a half hour video mentioned by @Dominic_Keen. Not very impressed by the external packaging. I hope mine, which I should have later this week, comes a little better packaged without the internal box being damaged in transit. Have they all been sent like this?
Agreed on FedEx. They were once the undisputed King of logistics, but in the last few years, their quality of delivery has suffered in our area. Unfortunately, USPS, in our neighborhood anyway, is worse than dismal, it’s abysmal. UPS has drivers that seem to have much higher rates of consistency - they consistently deliver packages with care, to the doorstep, even if somewhere else along the way, mistakes were made. In short, shipping studies and carefully packaging goods is still the best way to guarantee a purchase makes it to your customer OK, but beyond that, UPS is probably the best for on time delivery.
@N.P FEDEX seems so weirdly inconsistent across some regions. In regions where I live, they have been pretty flawless, but I have sent stuff to friends and family for it to be all over the place before inevitably arriving late. I think it’s because FEDEX relies more on regional contractors more than UPS or DHL. Nothing detrimentally late for me, but if you’re running a business and sending time-sensitive documents or packages, that would be a little bit of a nightmare. Over the past five years, UPS seems to be the undisputed champion of consistent delivery, probably because they’ve been working pretty long with Amazon. USPS, where I have been, are okay. Nothing special. If I’m only sending small packages or envelopes, their priority mail seems to be pretty solid.
