Dave2d who's been supportive of Framework preordered the Laptop 16.
He's a bit concerned about the pricing and questions the upgradability of the Laptop 16 specifically.
Personally I understand his point, but I think the upgradability alone is probably not a good reason to buy the Laptop 16. It's always been a package, which includes:
repairability
modularity
support of the movement/mission
the versatility of reusing parts for other use cases (e.g. the motherboard as thin-client)
a laptop that actually does not have Linux as an afterthought
the openness with the expansion card and (hopefully expansion bay) ecosystem
and maybe even more?
It's true that the laptop is expensive when you compare specs for specs but that was not the reason to buy it either. Do I wish it was cheaper? You bet. But like with all new startups, if it works out, if it scales, prices could come down. Long live Framework!
I mean personally I am on the verge of getting one, but the Price is really making me reconsider... Also I think it's on Q1 of 2024 right now, which is kind of a long wait for a laptop. I think Dave is right though if the Framework would be a bit less pricey it would be a consideration for way more people. I just hope Framework continues to grow so the Laptops get a bit cheaper :)
Imo part of the reason why the cost is high is that the device starts with the 8 core option by default. They didnt start the device with a base proce using the 7640HS (similar to how the Framework 13 starts with a 7460U)
On the 13, the first upgrade is a 320$ upgrade. I wouldnt be suprised if there would have been a lot of users who wouldn't mind the r5 option to save at least 300$.
Yeah I think you summoned it up perfectly. Especially since for a lot of Games CPU isn't that important. And people that do video editing might not need a GPU in a Laptop.
I have to push back on his "13-inch is a productivity device & 16-inch is a performance device." IMO, the difference in CPU sku's between the two models looks pretty negligible, I don't think you're gonna see a big difference aside from benchmarks. Also, you're not required to purchase a discreet GPU with the 16"; I didn't, I don't need one for my use-case. When I purchase a laptop, the size I buy isn't directly determined by its intended use, that's a different decision tree.
He also neglected to include certain market factors when talking about price. Sure, when doing a simple specs -> price comparison against the manufacturers he mentioned, the Framework appears over-priced. However, Framework can't operate at the same scale. Using sellers like System76, Tux Computers, and Entroware (who operate at a more similar scale), the price difference is lessened. You're also paying for the engineering to design & implement a wholly different laptop assembly.