I'm happy to answer questions anyone has on this product!
Any chance of it getting sold in the EU?
The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
251–260 of 476 posts
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can the motherboard be purchased separately in order to transform an existing Framework laptop into a Framework Chromebook?
Didn’t google make a version of ChromeOS that can be installed on a lot of regular laptops? Seems to me it’s possible there may not be any hardware difference between the Chromebook edition and other Framework laptops.
The Chromebook edition is based on the "brya" motherboard design shared by other Chromebooks with 12th gen Intel processors, so it won't be the same as the usual 12th gen Framework board. You can install Chrome OS Flex on the standard Framework mainboard, though; I think earlier commenters have provided more detail.
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#253Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chromebook ecosystem is completely saturated with low end / low cost devices so there is not a segment of the market there that is not being met. Even the "high end" devices are often computationally anemic (Pixelbook series with Y series CPUs and eMMC drives). As a Chromebook user I am glad there are at least 2 high end options now (Framework and HP Elite Dragonfly).
Why would people pay that much for a Chromebook, when you could just install Ubuntu and delete all the icons except for Chrome?
I mean isn't that a fair question all around? Why pay more for a high end laptop when you can just buy a cheap chromebook? The myth that ChromeOS is just a web browser is just that a myth. It can do so much more. Some people like a high end laptop, but also prefer the safety and security that ChromeOS provides. I owned a Pixelbook and loved it. Honestly still miss it. I would absolutely buy another high end ChromeOS device.
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#254Earlier quoted context omitted.
Googler, opinions are my own. Google definitely has not lost interest. The Chromebook team at Google is actually involved in almost (all?) Chromebooks made. Since Google is responsible for all firmware/software updates for the life of that Chromebook, they are involved in that way. As well, the hardware/firmware teams here do a lot of the core engineering to getting the core parts of the hardware working (motherboard…
Thanks for your response, it's very helpful. I'll check out the HP Elite Dragonfly too. As the sibling commenter mentioned, though, Google did just shut down their Pixelbook division, which is what I was referring to. And as a corollary, if you can forward this to anyone that matters, Google's product marketing is the absolute worst . And I say this as a big fan of Google's developer-focused products. Case in point,…
> Google's product marketing is the absolute worst
As long as ‘killed by Google’ continues to be a well-known meme, they could have the best marketing department in the universe and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference..
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#255Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes they also don't protect you from car accidents or heart disease. What's your point? The purpose of a privacy switch is to make sure that Google (or anyone else, including hackers) isn't spying on you through your camera or microphone. This one accomplishes exactly that.
How will the switch protect me if I'm in a video call with my SO? I can trust a Linux system. A system running Google adware (some even call it spyware), not so much.
> How will the switch protect me if I'm in a video call with my SO?
The switch exists for when you are NOT on a video call. It completely cuts the video feed going into the OS on the hardware level. How is that so hard to understand for people here?
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#256ChromeOS is a privacy nightmare I cannot recommend to anyone which is a real shame because it is perhaps the most secure consumer focused workstation operating system out there.
I wish any vendor would offer a privacy-by-default telemetry-disabled ChromiumOS option I could actually recommend.
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#257The words chromebook and privacy in the same marketing material for a product that clearly targets power users is an audacious choice
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
Having just bought a Framework to replace my 5-year-old XPS, I really hope I have the same experience as you. Do you run Linux, by the way? I hope Linux support is good.
I'm using 12th gen processor, latest versions of Ubuntu and Linux Ubuntu: Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS Linux: 5.17.0-051700-generic The only problems I've had so far is the "brightness" fn keys don't work, and bluetooth isn't great with certain devices like Airpods. The brightness keys isn't a big deal, can still set brightness in the OS. It's probably fixable through some manual keymapping. Bluetooth is more annoying but I so…
I would be interested in understanding what issues you are seeing on Windows. We do quite a bit of validation on Windows.
A sibling comment shared the fix for the brightness keys, but you can also grab that information from our setup guide for Ubuntu: https://guides.frame.work/Guide/Ubuntu+22.04+LTS+Installatio...
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#259Earlier quoted context omitted.
Biased opinion: I work on ChromeOS at Google Biased but informed opinion: I own a Framework Laptop running Ubuntu 22.04. Linux on a server or a desktop isn't so bad. Linux on a laptop is awful. Hibernation isn't supported. Battery life is mediocre, and battery drain in sleep is significant. If I close the lid on my Framework at 75% and come back the next day, it will be at 25%. If I come back in 3 days, it will be co…
System76 seems to have finally gotten to the bottom of the battery issues with their Lemur Pro. It's all about the drivers, and getting drivers that do power management right for devices that are miserly is surprisingly difficult.
Can you confirm this for your own device?
I am really waiting for a linux laptop, which is truly mobile. I also rather went with chromebooks so far.
Re: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition
#260I'm happy to answer questions anyone has on this product!
I'm comparing this with the 12-gen DIY offerings, and it seems like it's mostly the low-end configuration of the DIY with ChromeOS installed. The FAQ says there are some subtle differences like louder speakers and a "more power optimized battery". Can you clarify what "more power optimized" means (a rather vague statement as the specs page suggests the same capacity and durability)? I noticed the 256GB of storage is…
The power optimizations are in the Mainboard electrical design, firmware, and OS, and improve both standby and in-use efficiency. The battery itself is identical to the one in other Framework Laptops.
On the storage, we use Western Digital SN730 and SN740 drives, which are also what we put in the pre-built Framework Laptops. These are roughly equivalent to the SN750 and SN770 retail drives, respectively.
On the memory and storage, ChromeOS technically has an allow-list for memory and storage, though in practice we have seen modules not on the list work fine. We'll be adding that list onto the Knowledge Base. We will be making parts that are on the list available in the Framework Marketplace for guaranteed compatibility (the memory we already have, and we'll be introducing SN730/SN740 storage up to 1TB).