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Comment by babypuncher | Hacker News Reader

What we've been asking for is a Framework running AMD hardware.

What we're getting is a Framework running a stripped down Linux meant for schools and made by a spy company?

I predict this thing not selling well, but I'm sure someone is excited.

Companies can offer multiple products. If it fails to sell they will discontinue it but if it does well it can help Framework offer a broader range of products.

I would think that the upgradability has significant environmental upsides for schools (who otherwise end up ditching computers fairly regularly)

I suspect it also means laptops with minor damage can be fixed more economically or at the very least can be cannibalised for the working parts to fit to other school laptops.

I bet lots of schools would pay up for "sustainable" laptops, actually.

I’m going to bet the opposite - no school is so flush with cash they can pay a 3x premium per laptop for students thet offers the same functionality. This seems like a misguided approach to obtain mass market appeal.

I think you underestimate the selling power of "Green" options, particularly among those with dollars to spend.

Many schools are already using Chromebooks. Framework is now making it so they won't get ripped off. This is an incremental improvement that I can see making Framework a lot of money actually

Most schools are using $200-$300 Chromebooks, I don't think this $999 high performance alternative is really targeting that market.

I wonder how often they have to replace those low priced chrome books, however. Maybe there is a good value proposition in buying a well powered machine that can be updated by an IT department in an age where laptops are never upgradable.

This is a great point. Also, even if it is actually cheaper in the long term because they can just upgrade parts from the modularity of it, I somehow feel skeptical that a school IT unit is going to have that level of foresight. Even if they do, will they be able to successfully persuade the suits that control the budget?

Yup, you're right, this could be a very tough sell.

>a school IT unit is going to have that level of foresight

You think those IT people don't read here too? Its a budget thing sweetie, once you get a real job you understand.

It would need to last 3 times longer before needing a single replacement part for the cost to lifetime ratio to even out. Each replacement part in that timeframe pushes the value time out further. I'm not convinced it would be cheaper in the long run.

Dell released a "business class" 13-inch Chromebook (the Lulu platform) in 2015. It came with several options (e.g. Celeron vs i3 vs i5, 4GB vs 8GB RAM, choice of SSD storage size, touchscreen or not, etc). At the time it was released, the retail price for a non-touchscreen i3 was over $900. Again, that was not even the most expensive configuration, and that's 2015 dollars, not 2022 post-COVID inflation dollars. Many institutions went for the cheap Celeron-based models, but plenty others apparently opted for pricier ones (e.g. models with an i3 and a touchscreen, to give one example that I'm personally familiar with).

Speak for yourself -- personally I'm asking for a 15" Framework with a Trackpoint and maybe built-in ethernet :)

I think we all have different demands. Hopefully with the modularish system they can gradually make us all happy.

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