- Framework manager says MacBook Neo is not configurable enough
- The inventor says the Apple laptop is designed to lure you into the walled garden
- But the truth may not be as simple as that
Apple’s MacBook Neo has earned rave reviews for its affordable price and impressive build quality, while introducing users to Apple’s most customizable design in recent memory. But there will still be criticism from a rival laptop maker, which has reprimanded Apple’s service as “a computer you should own.”
The competitor in question is Framework, known for making highly configurable laptops that can be taken apart, replaced and assembled easily. But for Framework founder Nirav Patel, the MacBook Neo has too many compromises when it comes to customization.
In a video posted on YouTube, Patel decided to tear apart a MacBook Neo to see how it’s built inside, then compared it to a disassembled Framework Laptop. In the case of the Frame, the internal parts were clearly labeled and easy to remove. While the MacBook Neo has a number of parts that can be quickly removed, its keyboard comes with several screws holding it down, while the display cannot be replaced without removing the entire top of the laptop.
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Patel used this difference to argue that the two brands have very different philosophies. For Patel, the goal of the MacBook Neo is to “get new MacBook users right off the bat and bring them into the walled garden that Apple has created for them,” with the idea that they will eventually upgrade to a more expensive Apple laptop such as a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
On the other hand, the Framework Laptop, Patel says, is designed to reduce waste “by making the product easy to use as long as you need it… If you have a Framework Laptop, we want to be able to keep improving it so it works well for you as long as you need it.”
Analysis: Different users, different needs
Patel is right that the Framework Laptop and MacBook Neo come from different schools of thought. Apple has always wanted to control its products, and it took a lot to convince the company to start opening up its devices – especially the threat of legal action from organizations like the European Union (EU).
But there are other reasons for Apple’s decision to make its laptops less repairable than others. Another simple case of usability: making small products with many internal parts often forces everything to be tightly assembled, making the pieces of the product difficult to remove. In addition, Apple has talked in the past about how it depends on longevity over repairability, and modular, repairable parts are potential points of failure that can affect the life of the device.
In the case of the MacBook Neo, this is a laptop designed for first-time Mac users and people with limited needs – in other words, the type of customer who is most likely to want to open their device and play within it. Framework users tend to be polar opposites, as they have purchased a laptop designed for isolation. If Apple knows that its MacBook Neo customers don’t like to repair their laptops, it will likely focus on long-term reliability and easy access to internal components.
That approach is seen elsewhere. While Patel says the frame can be continuously improved to help it last longer, it’s not like Apple’s MacBooks are prone to failure. Some recent studies have shown that MacBooks last almost twice as long as Windows PCs in business settings, and one analyst said that the MacBook Neo can cost a lot more over time compared to a similarly priced Windows PC due to the low replacement frequency of Apple laptops.
Of course, if you are the type to get into small home laptop repair, the Framework will be perfect for your needs. It allows you to upgrade it multiple times over its lifetime, giving you more control over your device than Apple ever allowed for the MacBook Neo. And in that regard, Patel makes a good point – but perhaps not the whole picture.
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