Framework won’t be just a laptop company anymore

Framework CEO Nirav Patel tells maine that has ever been nan scheme and that nan institution primitively had different viable ideas beyond laptops, too. “We chose to return connected nan notebook abstraction first,” he says, partially because Framework knew it could bootstrap its ambitions by catering to nan PC builders and tinkerers and Linux enthusiasts near down by large OEMs and partially because it wanted to spell large aliases spell home.

If Framework could win successful laptops, he thought, it would beryllium capable to build almost anything.

After 5 years building laptops, what mightiness Framework adhd to nan portfolio? Patel won’t opportunity — I only get nan barest hints, nary matter really galore different ways I ask.

He won’t moreover opportunity if they’ll make little aliases much of a scatter than laptops. Framework mightiness take an “equally difficult” class aliases mightiness alternatively effort thing “a spot smaller and simpler to execute, streamlined now that we person each this infrastructure.”

Nor will he opportunity if they’ll likewise beryllium bootstrapped by enthusiast gadget lovers aliases skew much toward nan mundane consumer. (Patel recently suggested to Jason Carman that Framework mightiness accommodate its trading to scope much mundane audiences.)

But Patel does propose these caller products won’t beryllium one-offs — that erstwhile Framework raises backing for a caller merchandise category, it builds a roadmap of really to proceed that merchandise twelvemonth aft year. “Every clip a merchandise lands connected a roadmap, we’re not going to say: ‘That’s repairable, that’s it.’ The first merchandise is nan first liking successful nan ground.”

The company’s $9 cardinal seed information paid for nan original 13-inch laptop design, which has carried connected for three generations of components. Framework’s $18 cardinal Series A paid for nan Framework Laptop 16.

It occurs to me: mightiness Framework’s squad request to focus connected a fewer lingering laptop issues earlier moving connected to caller territory? But Patel says nan company’s laptop teams won’t shrink complete clip — it’s conscionable that immoderate cohorts, for illustration business designers, don’t request to instrumentality astir aft a creation is locked.

(Unlike astir laptop companies, locking nan creation is simply a positive for Framework since nan thought is to fto you support nan aforesaid chassis twelvemonth aft twelvemonth arsenic you upgrade and repair parts.)

Patel says some nan Framework Laptop 13 and Framework Laptop 16 person agelong lives up of them, moreover though he still won’t rather commit to nan 16-inch exemplary getting early GPU upgrades. “You’ll beryllium nan first to know,” he tells me.

Today, Framework has astir 50 employees, and it plans to grow to 60 earlier nan extremity of nan year, pinch “a spot of further squad growth” successful 2025. It’s a mini institution that needs to partner to really nutrient hardware; I stitchery that its laptop partner, Compal, for example, does a spot much than conscionable tally nan assembly lines.

So if you did want to sleuth retired what Framework’s cooking next, you mightiness want to return a look astatine nan web of relationships that nan company’s building because there’s an definitive hint astir that successful its property release: “We’ve had a number of early business discussions pinch different startups successful our investors’ portfolios,” 1 statement reads.

Another line points retired that Cooler Master, which designed nan thermal solution wrong nan Framework Laptop 16 and is now a nonstop investor, mightiness thief Framework build caller products, too. “We person further collaborations pinch nan Cooler Master squad successful incubation now.”