- Framework’s CEO says the MacBook Neo isn’t repairable enough
- The founder says Apple’s laptop is made to entice you into the walled garden
- But the reality might not be as simple as that
Apple’s MacBook Neo has earned rave reviews for its affordable price tag and impressive build quality, while also presenting users with Apple’s most repairable design in recent memory. Yet it’s still drawn criticism from the maker of a rival laptop, who has rebuked Apple’s device by saying that “a computer should be yours.”
The rival in question is Framework, which is known for making highly repairable laptops that can be taken apart, replaced and reassembled with consummate ease. Yet for Framework founder Nirav Patel, the MacBook Neo has too many compromises when it comes to repairability.
In a video posted to YouTube, Patel decided to tear down a MacBook Neo to see how it was arranged inside, then compared it to a disassembled Framework Laptop. In the case of the Framework, internal parts were clearly labeled and simple to remove. While the MacBook Neo features plenty of parts that can be quickly taken out, its keyboard comes with dozens of screws holding it down, while the display can’t be changed without removing the entire top section of the laptop.
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Patel used these differences to argue that the two products have very different philosophies. For Patel, the purpose of the MacBook Neo is to “get new MacBook users right from the start and then bring them into the walled garden that Apple has created for them,” with the idea that they will later upgrade to a more expensive Apple laptop like a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro.
On the other hand, the Framework Laptop, Patel claims, is designed to reduce e-waste “by making the product easy to use for as long as you want to… If you’ve got a Framework Laptop, we want you to be able to continue to upgrade it so that it works well for you for as long as you need it.”
Analysis: Different users, different needs
Patel is right that the Framework Laptop and MacBook Neo come from very different schools of thought. Apple has always wanted to maintain control over its products, and it has taken a lot to convince the company to start opening up its devices — mainly the threat of legal action from bodies like the European Union (EU).
But there are other reasons for Apple’s decision to make its laptops less repairable than others. One is a simple case of practicality: making thin products with a lot of internal components often necessitates squeezing everything together tightly, which of course makes the product’s pieces tough to remove. As well as that, Apple has talked in the past about how it leans towards longevity over repairability, and modular, repairable parts are potential points of failure that can impact a device’s lifespan.
In the MacBook Neo’s case, this is a laptop designed for first-time Mac users and people with modest demands — in other words, the type of customer who is highly unlikely to want to open their device and fiddle around with its innards. Framework users tend to be the polar opposite, since they have bought a laptop specifically designed to be taken apart. If Apple knows its MacBook Neo customers aren’t interested in repairing their own laptops, it’s probably going to focus on long-term reliability over easy access to internal components.
That approach is reflected elsewhere. While Patel says the Framework can be continually upgraded to help it last longer, it’s not as if Apple’s MacBooks are quick to fail. One recent study showed that MacBooks last around twice as long as Windows PCs in enterprise settings, while another analyst has claimed that the MacBook Neo could cost half as much over the long run compared to a similarly priced Windows PC thanks to the lower replacement frequency of Apple laptops.
Of course, if you are the sort to dabble in a little home laptop repair, the Framework will be ideal for your needs. It lets you upgrade it multiple times over its lifespan, giving you much more control over your device than Apple will ever allow for the MacBook Neo. And in that regard, Patel makes a good point — but it’s perhaps not the whole picture.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
