The right-to-repair movement isn't new, but if you think of a consumer-focused brand selling modular or repairable (or both) devices, that trend is pretty new. Framework's modular laptops lead the PC industry when it comes to championing people's right to repair. From the original Framework Laptop 13 in 2021 to the recently announced Laptop 13 Pro, the company has come a long way in a short while. Providing consumers with configurable 12-inch, 13-inch, and 16-inch models, Framework has kept modularity, repairability, and sustainability at the core of its products. Today, you can buy a Framework laptop with a Core Ultra Series 3 or Ryzen AI 300 chip with up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage, and even a model with RTX 5070 graphics.
Despite everything, however, the industry hasn't given Framework much attention. The company still commands only a thin sliver of global market share, repairable laptops haven't blown up in any significant way, and the average consumer doesn't gravitate toward a Framework laptop. Buying decisions still seem to value price, simplicity, and compact designs over modular upgrades and long-term value. Sure, repairability enthusiasts have bought Framework laptops in the hundreds of thousands, but the brand is still a niche startup. It has surely brought repairability back into the conversation, but most consumers and the industry at large need more before they start paying serious attention.
Framework solved the core engineering problem around repairable laptops
The company's POC has been refined over the last 5 years
For years, laptop companies have convinced consumers that repairability is simply not achievable on laptops. While some commercial models and DIY projects have cropped up in the last 10–12 years, modularity and repairability have gone downhill overall. You only need to look at soldered memory to see where the industry is headed. Framework Computer is a young company, founded in 2020, and having launched its first product, the Laptop 13, in 2021, only five years ago. Within that brief period, though, Framework has already shown that repairable laptops aren't mutually exclusive from high-performance CPUs and GPUs, premium designs, and interesting form factors. All of its laptops feature not only modular memory and storage, but also upgradable motherboards, displays, batteries, speakers, ports, and more. In fact, on the Laptop 16, you can also swap dedicated GPUs, keyboards, and touchpads.
When you configure and buy a Framework Laptop, you're essentially buying a mainboard with a soldered CPU, keyboard, touchpad, RAM, SSD, and ports that you can self-assemble in around 20 minutes with a single screwdriver. When something breaks, or you want to upgrade to a newer CPU, more powerful GPU, or bigger SSD, you can buy replacements from Framework for easy upgrades. The upfront price of a typical Framework laptop is naturally higher than an equivalent model from one of the more established brands, but you can save more in the long run by swapping components instead of buying a whole new laptop. That's the logic that Framework's customers are sold on.
But Framework's market share remains negligible
For all the success Framework has had in the community, it isn't even a blip on the radar of names like Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and others. It's still a niche startup making repairable laptops for enthusiasts and people who genuinely care about modularity and upgradability. The unfortunate truth is that the average consumer does not prioritize the same things above everything else. They value a laptop that excels at providing value for money, a compact design, battery life, and brand familiarity. Most people you know will think about the upfront price of a laptop instead of the future savings Framework promises to its consumers. The value proposition at play is harder to sell to the average laptop buyer.
Then, there's the economics of repairing your laptop vs. buying a new one. In the budget and mainstream segments, Framework's upgradable modules can become quite expensive compared to buying a new entry-level or budget device instead. The company's sustainable and user-friendly model is genuinely great, but most people spending their hard-earned money on a laptop think about the price first. They lean heavily toward cheaper alternatives offering the same core configuration. These alternatives belong to brands that have huge marketing budgets and can reserve dedicated shelf space at Best Buy, Walmart, and Micro Center.
Framework's model works great for prosumers who want to avoid e-waste and are sure they'll upgrade their laptops after a few years. For everyone else, though, upfront affordability and simplicity still reign supreme. Framework's announcement that its Linux units are outselling its Windows models only goes to show that its target consumers are pretty different from the ones who account for the overwhelming majority of global laptop sales.
Framework's success is a win for repairability, but the industry is still ignorant
Widespread change will take years, and Framework needs to stay in the game
Framework has done what no other manufacturer was willing to do: produce truly modular and repairable laptops for the masses. However, the ground reality is that most people say they want repairable laptops, but don't show the same with their purchase decisions. Today, Framework most likely accounts for fewer than 1% of the worldwide laptop sales, while the industry continues to move toward soldered, closed-off designs that consumers can't upgrade or repair. Framework has restarted conversations around feasible consumer machines with modular components, but the larger consumer base as well as the industry is yet to take note.
With time, manufacturers and consumers might be forced to radically alter their approach, especially if Framework manages to convince consumers of long-term value in the lower price segments. The right to repair isn't going away; it's picking up, with more legislation coming up in every major economy in the world. Companies like Framework are at the forefront of this movement, and we need more of them. Consumers, however, will always move toward upfront value rather than noble intentions and long-term savings. Once Framework can communicate a more attractive value proposition to the average consumer, its footprint will start to grow meaningfully.
Repairable laptops are welcome, but consumers aren't voting with their wallets
Framework's modular laptops are a hit with the prosumer crowd, but haven't been able to grab significant market share after five years in existence. Their repairable laptops are much needed today, but the average consumer will have to be convinced of long-term value before they can commit. Regulators are doing their bit, but the larger industry will change course only if there's real demand for modular machines across the board.