I hope FW takes the time needed to create a great product.
I personally hope they prioritize quality over rushed delivery. I rather wait 3 months longer and get a good product, instead of having it early at the cost of substantial problems. Even 6 months more is better than half-baked stuff out the door.
Yes, and thanks for the transparency, FW!
New processor comes out, upgrade the motherboard.
New display technology comes out, upgrade the display.
Wifi, RAM, storage, same deal.
New GPU? Hope someone engineers a Bay module for it.
That’s about as future-proof as portables get.
Last update was 15 days ago, Friday is December 1st. When do you think our next update will be? It seems like there were many issues that could make an update/ timeline challenging. What do ya’ll think?
Since the last update mentioned mid-December as the target for first shipment (and an at-risk target at that) I imagine they won’t communicate any potential delays until we get closer to that mid-December point.
Well, there was a message (after the newsletter that mentioned mid-December) somewhere that suggested that there might be an announcement on the 27th of Nov (last Monday) or maybe a week later. It sounds like they may have made a breakthrough on whatever the problems have been, and now it is just a case of getting it into manufacturing (subject to whatever commitments they have made with resources for the FW13, that were originally targeted at the FW16).
If you’re talking about that reddit post first mentioned here,
it’s lacking some quotation marks that may make it less misleading. That mention of updates on the 27th, the 1st at the latest, are speculation by the author of the post. They aren’t from Framework.
Ah, right. Thanks for the correction.
Another email out - cliffs - great progress.
In our first update email, we gave a quick overview of where we are on starting Framework Laptop 16 manufacturing and a list of open issues. There are still a handful of firmware items that are open and module production dates that are pending for full system production. However, we’ve made excellent progress in the last two weeks, and we’re happy to share that Mainboard mass production has started! This means the first set of final Mainboards are flowing down the manufacturing line this week at our factory in Taiwan. We’ll run them through the normal testing procedures and hold them while we prepare for full system manufacturing.
We’re eager to close out the rest of the opens, build the first units, and get them out to you all. We have a list of the remaining open items below, along with the issues from the last update that are now resolved.
New issues
In progress
Resolved issues
Managed to read this before I got the email because I was just thinking “Hey have there been any new updates?”
Awesome that mainboard production is now underway. Can’t wait for the email telling me it’s ready to pay for.
Ugh. You TEASE! You can’t put the word “Timing” in the header and not mention how we’re doing! Better? Worse? The suspense!
I was more patient until it became clear we’re gonna be bumping up against a long vacation (as I’ve seen at least one other person mention, and probably many more given the holiday season) and if it’s not gonna get here before I leave, I’m not sure what I wanna do about it. Is redirecting it last minute even an option? I can’t bear the thought of it sitting back home waiting 3 weeks for my return!
Wow. Another email so shortly, after just a couple of weeks. I am a bit speechless, this level of transparency and diligence to customers is unheard of at least for me. I have to admit, this is beyond awesome.
The bad news for Framework may be that it may affect their X-Mas holidays, as eager enthusiasts are waiting ;)… Not meant seriously of course, they should take all the time it takes and as we now know A LOT depends on suppliers.
Thanks for this! I got the email, but I don’t check my email that often.
Can you email Framework to see if they can schedule the delivery after you’re back? It seems like a reasonable ask especially since you’ve got vacation planned.
I think the transparency in the framework is very good. I am very clear that I prefer a later delivery of frameworld 16 but that the laptop is completely clean and in the end there is no problem for the user since this will affect the reputation of the framework.
It is better to wait 3 or 4 more months because the product does not cause problems. It’s good for the end user, frameworldpk’s reputation and future trends.
A dirty, problem-free product would be disastrous.
I appreciate the transparency and honesty of something unconventional in these times.
Looks like they might be getting serious about releasing it … The latest blog post thing was talking about getting the store filled with FW16 parts etc…
It is filled … but all labeled “Coming Soon”
Link to the liquid metal post: Framework | Framework | Blog Overview
Text from the first part of the email:
We said in the last email that we were done with Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dives, but a community member reminded us that we never provided detail on the liquid metal thermal interface we’re using to maximize CPU performance. Before we go onto that Deep Dive, we have a couple of announcements to make.
First, we’re happy to share that we’ve shipped almost all pre-orders of Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series) and most configurations now ship directly from inventory. With this, we’re ending the pre-order phase and moving into normal ordering. There are a few configurations that have pending production or low inventory, so for now we’re communicating that new orders ship within two weeks at the latest, though most ship within five business days. You can see more detailed shipping windows for each pre-built and DIY Edition configuration in the configurators. This was our fastest manufacturing ramp yet, and October and November were both record output months for our factory. All of this puts us in a great position for outputting a large number of Framework Laptop 16 units shortly.
Our second announcement is that the modules that make up Framework Laptop 16 are now listed in the Framework Marketplace. A core element of having a long-lasting, repairable, upgradable product is making parts readily available. They are currently open for waitlisting, and we’ll be getting inventory into place in each of our three logistics centers (Taiwan, New Jersey, and Netherlands) as we begin laptop shipments. We’re also continuing to improve the purchasing experience. You can now filter the Framework Marketplace down by product family and generation to see parts and upgrades that are compatible with what you have, and each product has tags stating which product family it works with.
I wonder if they use that too for the GPU board? Would be nice. Seems really good actually!
I think more likely I’d have it sent to a friend/family member’s address that will be along our road trip route. Looks like that’s totally possible, and increasingly likely. Unless they’re gonna blast through 3 batches next week, there’s very little chance I’m getting it by the 27th. On one hand I’m selfishly hoping for a delay, but on the other I’m planning to road trip with my RAM, SSD’s, and a bootable USB installer. OMG, I haven’t even picked an OS yet!
Edit: Or maybe I’ll be home in time after all? (See latest email)
Yeah, looking at that I think we will be lucky if any batch 1 gets shipped before Christmas.
I think it but confirms no shipments before Christmas. With “One tricky part of the timing is that our manufacturer and our fulfillment partners both have year end inventory audits that block incoming and outgoing shipments for several days” and the first couple going to reviewers, i think it’s safe to assume. I hope they get to enjoy the holidays which means early January.
I think the goal now needs to be to get as many batches out before Chinese new year at the start if Feb, Once all the final testing is complete, would still rather wait than have a half baked solution.