I was in the market for a decent Linux laptop, but after having seen one in person, I'm less convinced. Note: I'm talking about the 13" one.
The battery life using Linux isn't good, the screen is isn't that good, the touch pad is okay, but not great, the layout of the arrow keys is ridiculous. I don't get how something can market itself as an enthusiast laptop and come with arrow keys like these. And I agree that for this price, you should expect best-in-class components.
But the killer for me was seeing the modular port concept in action. It's the kind of thing that sounds great on paper, but in practice doesn't really work. It just wastes space that could be used for a larger battery, while limiting the number of ports that the laptop can fit at any one time. It's not a Linux laptop, but just for comparison, a Macbook Pro has way more ports, and all of them are usable at once.
I'm sure things will improve, but basically my impression is that the Framework concept doesn't seem that well thought out yet. And the upgradability guarantee might lock them into their unfinished ideas for a lot longer than other manufacturers would be. I really hope they can solve these issues, because what they're trying to do is fantastic, but it’s not for me just yet.
The battery life using Linux isn't good, the screen is isn't that good, the touch pad is okay, but not great, the layout of the arrow keys is ridiculous. I don't get how something can market itself as an enthusiast laptop and come with arrow keys like these. And I agree that for this price, you should expect best-in-class components.
But the killer for me was seeing the modular port concept in action. It's the kind of thing that sounds great on paper, but in practice doesn't really work. It just wastes space that could be used for a larger battery, while limiting the number of ports that the laptop can fit at any one time. It's not a Linux laptop, but just for comparison, a Macbook Pro has way more ports, and all of them are usable at once.
I'm sure things will improve, but basically my impression is that the Framework concept doesn't seem that well thought out yet. And the upgradability guarantee might lock them into their unfinished ideas for a lot longer than other manufacturers would be. I really hope they can solve these issues, because what they're trying to do is fantastic, but it’s not for me just yet.