I know Windows laptops are very finicky and unreliable. For example, loads of people complain that $3000 Razer laptops break after a few months.

I guess I'm mostly talking about Apple overall.

You're paying a lot more money for self-repairability. Frameworks are generally more expensive than Macs, sometimes 50% - 100% more expensive for a similar laptop. That's crazy.

Macs are tanks. Not a single issue with my 4 year old M1 Air. Even if there is an issue, I can still take it to an Apple Store to get it looked at.

> Frameworks are generally more expensive than Macs, sometimes 50% - 100% more expensive for a similar laptop.

Do you have an example? An 8tb m4 macbook pro runs over 7 grand; the comparable hx370 framework 13 is barely over 3 grand. I bought both within the last couple months and found the macs to be significantly more expensive in the segment i was looking at.

You can buy an M4 Air for $799 on sale frequently.[0] Meanwhile, a similar spec'ed Framework with a slower AMD CPU/GPU is $1,517.00.[1] So the repairability angle just doesn't seem worth it. If the Air breaks, just buy a new one.

Keep in mind that the M4 Air has a better display, significantly faster CPU, faster GPU, significantly more battery life, is fanless, better speakers, much better trackpad, and a thinner profile.

[0]https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/27/200-off-every-m4-macboo...

[1]https://frame.work/products/laptop13-diy-amd-ai300/configura...

It is mostly valid for 16GB/256GB-SSD config and when you need performance in bursts. Consider sustained performance, more RAM, more storage, OS options etc and the value proposition changes.

I have maintained it for years that the base model M-series Air is the best computer for normal people if they plan to keep it for years.

It likely still has better sustained performance. If you need more, then just go up to MBP.

That can't possibly be true. I was recently considering my first ever Apple laptop but I would be paying a fortune to get RAM and storage anywhere close to offerings from any other vendor. And I've heard they're difficult or impossible to upgrade myself, so I can't even select a base model now and add more later.

How often have you needed to repair a MacBook?

The enhanced repairability is basically insurance in case of a fault. Compared to a MacBook, or insurance for a MacBook, this insurance is overpriced.

As for the environment, the power consumption + larger design with extra parts to make it repairable + how few people ever buy parts makes this a virtue signaling wash.

I’m not the OP but for me, with my mid-2015, I had the battery replaced once. This was used almost every work day until 2023. My M2 Pro MBP I then bought, never so far (as you would expect for its age) and it still feels brand new.

That's 8 years of being used daily and the only thing you had to replace was the battery. That seems like a super reliable machine.

In the 15 years I've known her, my wife has needed to repair each of her 3 MacBooks at least once (One of them twice).

In the same time, I've had to repair one Gigabyte laptop. The second Gigabyte that needed repair, I trashed and just stopped buying Gigabyte.

That's the problem with Apple. They're build quality isn't that great, but you don't have an alternative.

Were they they the butterfly era crappy Macbooks?

Yeah, but that's the reality distortion field. It's true for many luxury brands where people just won't accept any criticism of the uber expensive products they bought because it makes them feel bad.

I have been buying Apple hardware since the early 2000s (the first thing I own was a 1.5 Gen iPod) and there is almost no product that didn't get an issue. Very often developing early in life because of bad design/engineering. I think the most reliables have been iPhones but that's only if you don't count annoying battery swap and other minor repairs that came for aging (like port replacement).

But they look good and make people feel good, so they get bought.

That's definitely the problem with Apple, if you could run macOS on any machine, they would lose market extremely fast.

Funnily enough, I had to get my M1 Pro repaired on day 1 of receiving. It had a defect in the screen that caused a white horizontal line. I was livid!

> I am sure that the Apple Store just handed you another one to replace a DOA Macbook, though.

Actually no. Where I live there is no local Apple Store. I had to take it to an authorised repairer, and it was there for 1.5 weeks.

That’s called a shipping accident, from which Framework is hardly immune.

I am sure that the Apple Store just handed you another one to replace a DOA Macbook, though.

Depends, once you get a crumble or a speck of dust in the keyboard there aren't that many options.

The whole thing is fragile as hell; macbooks don't get dents, they turn into dust on impact, just like iphones.