When I read the part above I have my answer. Because he likes buying shit just for the sake of buying shit. 11 different models spanning roughly a 20y timespan? That is on average less than 2 years between each model.
> I use a beefy desktop at home and at my office, but when I’m out and about I usually have a laptop with me to hack around on.
One consistent limitation is poor upgrade paths. The Chromebook is hilariously nerfed. Ram and disk soldered to the board. I had to buy a big sd card. The Mac not much better. Ram upgrade is impossible. The Dell had coil whine so would have needed a new mainboard.
Hopefully an ecosystem of parts manufacturers will emerge to support the framework community.
1. Many of those devices were used concurrently, especially the desktops next to the laptops. .
2. Some of those devices were relatively short-lived due to accidents (Apple G4 Cube, just 10ish months? - water leak in ceiling exactly above it), X230 broken screen and power connector within 1 year of its use..
The intent of the article was to share some background on devices I know quite intimately and how my experience with them directed my wanting a Framework - time will tell how it fares!