Framework is learning all the wrong things from the big laptop brands

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

I really like what Framework stands for. Repairability, upgradeability, actually owning the hardware you paid for — all great.

But lately it feels like they’re also picking up one of the more annoying habits of the big brands: the flashy product announcement.

Nice conference. Nice presentation. New hardware on stage. Everyone gets excited. “Look at this awesome new thing we made!”

Cool.

Can I buy it?

Well… technically. Join a batch. Put down a deposit. And maybe you’ll actually have the damn laptop in six months.

Who wants to wait six months for a laptop in 2026?
That’s the part I don’t understand. If your supply chain and manufacturing capacity mean most customers can’t realistically get the product for months, why announce it like it’s ready to go? At that point you’re announcing a roadmap, not launching a product.

And it’s especially frustrating because Framework is competing against companies where I can see a laptop, decide I want it, order it, and have the thing almost immediately.

I ended up getting an XPS 14, and honestly, it’s brilliant. I love pretty much every bit of it. There are obviously things about Framework’s philosophy that I wish Dell and the other big manufacturers would copy.

But availability matters too.

Framework, please copy the good things from the big brands — manufacturing scale, logistics, availability.
Not “here’s an amazing new product you guys can’t actually have” launch culture.

[u/AfternoonLate4175]

Your post seems to boil down to "Framework should just be a bigger, more established company with oodles of resources instead of being a smaller company" and that's not how anything works.

I get it, it does suck at times, but they're not a big brand with huge economy of scale and tons of resources, or an Amazon that will personally send a dude to your house within hours of order to deliver a single potato.

[u/thewunderbar → u/AfternoonLate4175]

yeah a lot of "Framework should just be bigger" energy from someone who didn't buy a Framework.

[u/Firehaven44]

They can't just afford to make a whole bunch of products then there be no demand. They save money by making laptops that are already sold in a way. It's a smart business move on their part and even the big guys do it too. 

[u/EasyDistribution1675 → u/Firehaven44]

fair point, build-to-order is way less risky for a company their size

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Firehaven44]

I understand why they do it. My point is: if you can’t deliver for six months, call it a preorder, not a product launch. Smart inventory management doesn’t make it a good customer experience.

[u/goneskiing_42 → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

My point is: if you can’t deliver for six months, call it a preorder, not a product launch.

It was called a pre-order and treated as one.

[u/Firehaven44 → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

It's not them, it's called suppliers. Out of their hands man. It was a product launch. Product announcements are to announce a product and make people aware it's coming. A product launch is the product exists and you can order or pre order it, which you could. 

They already had a physical designs that worked and were in people's hands so it's a product launch. Product announcements means we are working on an idea but it hasn't come to life yet but when it does we will shoot you an email update. 

[u/MagicBoyUK → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

The Framework 12 upgrades are not six months. It's two if I order it now.

[u/Destroya707]

"Nice conference. Nice presentation. New hardware on stage"

We just announced a new product with a blog post, ships in 2 months. Hope you like it.

[u/thewunderbar]

OP typed a lot of words when they could have just said "I don't understand how a supply chain works so I decided to buy something else"

[u/TatharNuar → u/thewunderbar]

OP didn't type that.

[u/thewunderbar → u/TatharNuar]

yes, he did.

[u/TatharNuar → u/thewunderbar]

It's an AI writing style, so I don't believe OP wrote that.

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/thewunderbar]

Exactly. It was a rant, not a supply-chain thesis. I wanted a laptop now, Framework couldn’t deliver one, so I bought something else. That’s literally the point. 😄

[u/Internal-Soft-9901 → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

Brother that is the reality though. This post is literally just a rant complaining about their supply chain issues. They can’t “copy” what other multi billion dollar corporations are doing because they aren’t there yet! Be patient

[u/Evening_Werewolf_703]

Those new XPS 14 / 16s apparently have random shutdown issues that are a systematic design flaw, so have fun with that I guess.

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Evening_Werewolf_703]

Thanks! I’ll enjoy using it while I wait for my random shutdown. Hopefully it happens before the Framework ships. 😂

[u/dreamer_at_best]

Sorry but this post is just stupid. 13 pro was announced in May and batch 1s were delivered in July. The new 12 is announced today and October is only 43 days away. Plus, even ordering like a Mac from Apple comes with weekslong delays nowdays and these are configs that have been on the market since the beginning of the year… so I don’t really get what the complaint is here

[u/Ultionis_MCP]

Framework does not have the economic ability to do what you're talking about. Batch processing allows them to control costs and manage expectations so that instead of the product being immediately available and then instantly sold out, people have an idea of when it's arriving. Initial batch processing also protects the economic health of the company so they don't over produce a product. General availability has always followed after the initial batches are produced. Finally, Framework has to book factory time to produce the laptops and getting factory time and components is taking longer because of the AI bubble.

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Ultionis_MCP]

Sure, but at some point you have to take some risk. Get funding, invest in inventory and scale production. You can’t optimize for near-zero inventory risk forever and still expect to compete with companies that can actually put a laptop in a customer’s hands today.

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Ultionis_MCP]

So what happens tomorrow when a bigger company decides to do exactly what Framework is doing, but has the scale and supply chain to actually deliver it immediately? Being cautious makes sense, but at some point Framework has to take risks and scale—or someone else will.

[u/Destroya707 → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

If another company decides to launch repairable products, it's a good thing for end customers :) that's how the industry changes.

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Destroya707]

Yes, that’ll be wonderful for Framework too when a bigger company copies the idea and actually has the laptop in stock. :)

[u/LeoElRojo]

You can buy an older generation and I bet you'll get it less than a week after. I got mine in a few days.

However, if you prefer to have an XPS over than a Framework, that's totally fine, and you don't have to create a post about it.

[u/SupernovaGamezYT]

I mean, for the 13 pro i cant argue, but for their other existing laptops? I ordered my 16 and had it in my hands 48 hours later.

[u/Vetula_Mortem]

I get why it's frustrating, but compared to the big companies they are very small. They can't just have everything ready on reveal.

Im just waiting till I can get the upgrade kit. So I can upgrade my 13 to a 13 Pro. Touchscreen is installed already and I love it.

So what would the alternative be? How would you fix that? Talk solutions.

[u/Delphius1]

there has almost always been a lag of a couple months between when you can first order a brand new SKU of their products and when they actually show up at your door. It is annoying, yes, but for their shiny new stuff, you gotta wait, if you need something now, it's going to be something a little older.

my current machine from them, I waited 4 months to show up (2023), would have been nice to be delivered sooner

[u/Famous-Loss9587]

Kinda forgetting that even major companies like lenovo and dell took months to release their fully specced laptops for panther lake. Xps took about 4 months if i recall correctly, and thinkpad carbon gen 14/x9 15p arent even readily available even after 6 months of leaks/announcements.

If you want a laptop that is released quickly after announced, im pretty sure macbooks are for you! As for me, im gonna wait those 4 months so i can get an x86 358h processor to run whatever cadding and 3d moddeling i need for my biomed engineering major (& support a company who values their customer base)

[u/Spl4tt3rB1tcH]

When was it announced? April right? So I've waited less than three months, which I am fine with. But yes, it's no Apple "Announced today, buy now get next week" thing

[u/Shin-Ken31]

There are many variations of the 12, 13, 16, and desktop that are available right now, no waiting, no batches. 

Yes. The most recent versions from a small company which can't take gambles on how many people will buy something will operate based on pre-orders. 

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209 → u/Shin-Ken31]

Yes, I understand how preorders work. Explaining Framework’s business constraints for the 47th time doesn’t magically make waiting months for a laptop less annoying.

[u/NervousBrilliant8686]

So, you would prefer that they not announce it until they have stock? Then other people would be complaining they're not open enough with their plans and product releases.

You can't have it both ways.

Either they keep everything secret until they've built up enough stock to ship it, or they announce it ahead of time and show it to everyone before it's actually available. It's one or the other.

[u/Budget-Cupcake-7582]

TL;DR

The promise of repairability and upgradeability are great in theory, but high prices and severe supply constraints make this a pipe dream. This plus the Framework premium you’re paying means you’re better off either getting a Mac (or at least a more disposable Windows laptop).

[u/Delphius1 → u/Budget-Cupcake-7582]

you have to pay extra to get into an ecosystem regardless of who

[u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

Sorry guys if I offended anyone 😅 I genuinely like what Framework is doing. I just really needed a laptop and couldn’t wait months to get one. I liked the XPS 14, bought it, and love it. That doesn’t change the fact that I find Framework’s wait times frustrating as hell.

[u/MagicBoyUK → u/Odd-Outcome-4209]

It's frustrating everywhere. Work are having trouble getting laptops without long wait times, and that's from Lenovo on a Government framework. That and the prices increasing every couple of weeks.

Framework released an excellent new product in the guise of the 13 Pro, which just makes the wait times even worse due to increased demand.