I definitely like to like Framework, but more for experimentation and fun - something I can have that is OK not to be reliable. I might, in-fact, get one just for keepsake but in all honesty, who is the target audience for Framework?
Then my wife was frustrated when her three-year old laptop started having battery problems, and our attempt to replace the battery failed. The ability to repair became appealing to her, because buying a whole new laptop seemed so wasteful and inconvenient.
I know we're a sample size of two, but we haven't had any issues with reliability (setting the aside the time when I beta-tested a new BIOS version, but that was my choice and I knew it was a beta-test).
With that said, I do think that Framework should just double-down on serving the niche tinkerer and Linux crowd, because normal consumers have no interest in choosing and swapping out components for themselves, nor understanding what BIOS version they have and how to update or rollback.
M1 being too expensive + Asahi Linux not being ready, I went for the Framework. Even though the M1 seems like a wonder machine, I would have had to choose the cheapest options with no possible upgrade ever and be satisfied with it. I'd rather spend my money on a company that shares my concerns. Fuck luxury.
So I guess I am the audience ? I paid more than what I was willing to spend for it.
And works just great. The screen size is a bit small for my taste but hey it's also more portable now.
It's not just a laptop for tinkering, it's a laptop that can easily be repaired/upgraded. Even non-technical users benefit from this should something break, or after a few years when the processor is a little slow and they can upgrade it without throwing out a perfectly functioning laptop. It also helps reduce e-waste by not requiring discarding perfectly fine components, which is better for everyone on the planet. If you're somebody who discards laptops like kleenexes and wouldn't even bother taking it in to a repair shop if it breaks, you could still donate it and give someone else an easy shot at a repair.
As far as reliability, I've been using one for daily driving for a year and a half and have had no reliability issues whatsoever (besides a webcam that broke, but that's because it fell 6 feet onto concrete, but that's hardly the latpop's fault). On the contrary, I was able to buy just the little webcam module and fairly easily replace it, so now my webcam works again!
I can't think of any demographic (that needs a full laptop) for which I wouldn't recommend a framework.
Linus Sebastian and Louis Rossman.