"Founding news" like these aren't really that exciting -- I'll be excited once one of these "modular laptop / phone" companies manages to last a few years and actually deliver on their promises.
The Framework Laptop
361–370 of 1001 posts
Re: The Framework Laptop
#362Earlier quoted context omitted.
Keyboard and touchpad quality were high priorities for us. We built in 1.5mm key travel, which is unusually high for a <16mm thick laptop. The touchpad surface feels great and performs well. I hear you on the touchpad buttons though. That is something we've done a little exploration on. The touchpad is an end-user replaceable module, but we can't commit to a three button version materializing just yet.
Key travel isn't everything. The layout is important as well. This is the best layout humanity ever invented: https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/c/0/csm_... Classic arrow keys, separate volume buttons, separate back/forward/pageup/pagedown, F1-F12 as the primary functions, …
At this point I'd prefer few keys, just 18 per side for my fingers and a row of 4-6 for each of my thumbs. I'd handle numbers, function keys, volume, and whatever else you mentioned with layers.
Re: The Framework Laptop
#363Ars Technica has a sceptical but optimistic/hopeful take on it: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/framework-startup-de... Edit to add quote from Ars article: Framework is promising an awful lot in its very first product—"thin as an XPS 13, repairable as a custom-built gaming PC" is a pretty tall order to live up to. We very much want to believe, but it's going to take a full Ars Technica teardown before we're c…
The XPS 13 was the first thing I thought of when I saw this - a repairable, upgradable, expandable XPS 13.
What they are promising sounds awesome. And AS a Brit, that is not a word I use often :)
I really, really hope this pans out, and this summer - this is something I'd very much like to get my hands on!
Re: The Framework Laptop
#364I don't see any mention of the firmware and drivers efforts for this. Firmware and drivers always end up more difficult to deal with than expected. The Fairphone company was surprised by difficulties upgrading and patching android without support from their BSP vendor, causing many months delays of updates _and_ years shorter support life than they were planning for their earlier models. I purchased the Purism Librem…
Librem was geared towards openness/security, this just has a focus on repairability. Can Framework not just use off the shelf parts that already have the proper firmware/drivers available for windows/linux and then encounter none of the same issues? Or is the issue the interfaces b/w the modules and mainboard?
I think the particular problem for devices based on ARM SoCs is they’re not on the mainline kernel, support for hardware and for upgrading software relies on a whole pile of hacks on top of an ancient kernel version, and that means that upgrading to a new Android version requires applying a pile of new hacks on top again, and can be very laborious to get a reasonable, stable result. So Fairphone used a chipset whose manufacturer quickly dropped support for upgrading beyond a certain Android version, and that made it difficult for Fairphone to support the upgrade themselves.
Whereas if x86 systems have support on the mainline kernel, future kernel upgrades will be supported.
Re: The Framework Laptop
#365Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm down to exactly one adapter in my bag. One usb-c male to usb-a female stubby little guy. If I'm heading to someplace where I think I might need more than 1 usb-a port or a situation where I might need a bit of a usb hub I just pack this little 'dock dongle' that's about three inches long and an inch wide that has three usb-a ports (2x3.0 1x2.0), an hdmi port, a sd and tf card slot, an ethernet port, an audio jack…
What you describe is exactly the headache I was mentioning and dreaming to avoid. I do not need part of the laptop separated from the laptop to have additional task to think when to take them together and when not to take them together. I do not want to search for this 'little guy' in the dark and be stuck without it when I forgot to take it because a lot of other things happening in the same time around or I lost it…
The issue with this thread is that it seems like an argument, but different people just have different sensibilities.
Get the machine that suits _you_. Unless you want to run Apple OS because then you're not given choice.
Re: The Framework Laptop
#366Earlier quoted context omitted.
GPIO cards on a modern laptop? Sign me up!!!
Yes! Actually, one of the first cards we built internally is a little Arduino-compatible one with a SAMD21 microcontroller and an external-facing 0.1" pin header for GPIO.
Wow that's actually a really cool idea
Re: The Framework Laptop
#367Earlier quoted context omitted.
You mean I could charge with any cable? How do I get it?
For my M1, I thought I was in a pinch when I forgot my charger at work. I was fine, though—I just plugged in my 18W USB-C phone charger and used it while WFH.
I hope iphones swap to USB-C soon for exactly this reason.
Re: The Framework Laptop
#368Earlier quoted context omitted.
>I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. How it proves it? Those guys do not drop ports, they just make them modular. All the "saved space" in Apple laptops become amazingly wasted space in your bag with tons of adapters and wires. I still dream to meet the one who made such 'wise' decision to tell him what I think about it personally! >USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. I am…
I'm not sure what you need "tons of adaptors and wires" for since you're only talking about SD cards, but to address that one example: what percentage of laptop users are professional photographers? One percent? A quarter? There are at least six fashion photographers in my apartment building and even I know they're a negligible slice of the population. Apple should not be designing their laptops around the needs of 1…
Why would I buy a laptop based on what you need, instead of what I need?
Re: The Framework Laptop
#369I really want to buy hardware that allows easy repair.
That goes for laptops and cellphone in particular.
Laptops used to allow easy replacement of battery, memory and hardrives at the very least.
All that sacrificed in the name of making the devices "thinner" and the design more attractive.
What bits me most is that a lot of younger friends I have, have no such expectations.
Talk to them about a cellphone the answer is usually "well if you have had it for 2 years it is probably time to buy a new one anyway"
Apples wireless earplugs are use and throw away. With a life expectancy of a little over 2 years from what I have read. No way to swap the batteries. I do not know if that figure is accurate.
I live in Norway now and the government is doing all sorts of things "for the environment" but have no interest in laws to force hardware makers to sell equipment that can be easily repaired.
Not that it would matter much for Norway, hardware makers would just pull out and the citizens would be very angry at the government.
If the EU and the US could join forces on it there would be repaid change.
I wonder if a latest generation Apple Air would be "easily" updated by Apple to allow end user replacement.
I doubt it.
Let say such a law could be passed, and it mattered, how much thicker and "less" attractive would things get. I wonder what engineering could come up with.
Buying less, keeping things longer, and making things repairable should be at the very top of the green agenda. That would all results in less sales so no major government seemsm to go that way.
Re: The Framework Laptop
#370This looks absolutely fantastic!
Any plans for a larger version, 14/15", or maybe even 16"?