The Framework Laptop is an upgradeable, customizable 13-inch notebook coming this spring

A San Francisco-based startup called Framework has just launched an ambitious project: a thin, lightweight productivity laptop that he says can be ‘upgraded, adapted and repaired in a way no other notebook can . ‘

Frame founder Nirav Patel tells The edge that the company aims to address its long-standing frustrations with consumer technology companies. Patel was one of the original employees of Oculus and also worked for Apple. During that time, he says, he’d seen an industry that felt incredibly broken. ‘

“As a consumer electronics company, your business model effectively depends on throwing out constant tons of hardware and pushing them into channels and markets and into consumers’ hands, and then dropping them and letting them exist,” Patel explains. “It encourages waste and inefficiency, and ultimately damage to the environment.”

To that end, Patel sees the Framework Laptop as more than a product – he sees it as an ecosystem.

The frame features a 13.5-inch 2256 x 1504 screen, a 1080p 60fps webcam, a 57Wh battery and a 2.87-pound aluminum chassis. Inside you get 11th generation Intel processors, up to 64GB of DDR4 memory and ‘4TB or more’ of Gen4 NVMe storage.

As is the case with all kinds of laptops for consumers, buyers can exchange and upgrade various internal parts of the framework, including memory, battery and storage. The company is trying to bring three additional benefits to the table. The first is that you can also customize and upgrade external components of the chassis, including the keyboard, screen, rings (which are magnetically fixed) and ports (via an expansion card system). If you are someone who hates dongles and docks, you can choose four ports from a variety that contain the usual suspects (USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, microSD, etc.).

The second is that Framework will sell its own modules in a centralized online market, which is also open to third-party sellers and sellers. The idea is that if your screen cracks or if you want to change your rings, you can jump to Framework’s website to find replacements that are customized for your laptop, rather than searching around. The components of Framework are printed with QR codes which, when scanned, will take you directly to a purchasing page for their upgrades.

The third is that, in addition to a pre-built Framework system, you can also buy a “do-it-yourself” package of your selected parts, which you can then use to assemble the laptop yourself. The DIY edition offers some flexibility in the operating system: you can install ‘your preferred Linux distribution’ on it, or you can choose Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro.

Image: Framework

This is definitely a good plan. But Framework cannot achieve its upgradeable, sustainable future by simply announcing an ecosystem – it must create an ecosystem that will last. And whether Framework will continue to manufacture modules for this particular laptop model into the future, and whether third-party partners will get the relaxation is definitely a question mark.

If you are any computer lover, you probably know that Framework is not the first company to try a scheme like this. Intel gave modular computers a try in the past, but the result of the Compute card was a commercial failure, and the modular Ghost Canyon NUC (which had hardware partners on board) had not yet received any new components. Alienware’s original Area-51m also never received its promised future, upgradeable parts. Phone makers have also tried modular devices: Google’s Project Ara smartphone, which is made up of Lego-style bricks that users can rearrange and swap in and out of, has gone nowhere. The reality is that hardware is difficult to build and modular hardware is even more challenging.

Image: Framework

Patel, for his part, believes that the OEMs were not enough. “Other companies put it out there, and someone decided internally, ‘Eh, we’re going to focus on something else this year,’ and closed the project,” says Patel. “It’s not something we’re doing. This is not a side project for us that is interesting to anyone. This is the core of our company. ”

“We are releasing new modules, upgrades and accessories, etc. to promote the health of the ecosystem, and we will continue to do so for as long as customers want it,” adds Patel.

Framework will be pre-ordered this spring, and the device is expected to ship this summer. The prices have not yet been announced, although Patel says it will be “comparable to other well-rated notebooks.”