To be clear, this is just a proposal of the “I wouldn’t be mad at all if you dismiss this or just consider it for later on” kind.
Most major laptop manufacturers have some kind of campus program, meaning they offer discounts and/or special campus models to students. Typically those models are a good value, but they only allow you to punch a bit above your budget. Consequently most students buy cheap laptops they want to upgrade sooner or later, which they either can’t afford or do, resulting in frustration or electronics waste.
I therefore (and for other reasons as well) think the Framework Laptop would be a great laptop for students, especially for those buying their first one. Maybe it would be feasible at some point in the future to introduce such a campus program in order to make the laptop even more affordable for them, as most of them are on a tight budget and would have to buy one destined for a landfill otherwise.
Really the unofficial discount version is just buying a framework laptop without Windows 10 pre-installed and just not activating the copy you do install on there (or use Linux). Microsoft doesn’t require Windows 10 to be activated for usage anymore, so as long as you don’t mind the watermark it’s not a big deal (The functionality besides that watermark and customization options is exactly the same).
I am aware of that option, however I think that price relief would not be significant enough on its own.
Maybe something like a 50$ discount or a “Second Life DIY version” with the older second hand motherboards (assuming those will be available in about a year or two and supply will be bigger than demand by those searching for SBCs) would do the trick.
Other components could be second hand too, of course, assuming there will eventually be upgrade possibilities for things like speakers etc. or maybe components were faulty but then got refurbished. That could definitely be a competitively priced option.
@Jason_Hottelet I like your thinking about parts being handed down… for most, finances are a really barrier to education and anything we can do to support students to A) be able to reduce barriers to getting an education and B) be able to reduce debt load… is an investment in our future.
I’d love to see Canadian universities adopt FOSS to further reduce this barrier.