How A DIY Laptop Can Solve The Massive e-Waste Problem

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The problem of e-waste is not lost on anyone connected with the tech industry and beyond, and in many ways, it’s becoming worse. Apart from what appears to be a current rule of upgrading to the next available gadget as soon as possible, tech companies are also at fault when it comes to people trying to fix their devices. Their current philosophy is one of their devices being perfect the way they are, and therefore should not be tampered with, which is why they’re sealed.

However, one company is seeking to address this issue by offering products with “the right to repair” built into them. Meet Framework.

The DIY Laptop

Framework wanted to build a laptop roughly the same size and weight as other laptops on the market and over months of designing and troubleshooting each component piece-by-piece, the company came up with two models. The first one, the Framework laptop arrives ready and built, which can be customized, upgraded and repaired.

The other requires a more hands-on approach. The DIY laptop allows buyers to build their own laptop from a kit of modules, which means you’ll have your own choice of OS, memory capacity and WiFi capabilities, whether you bring your want or buy them from Framework.

How it helps

Framework’s founder Nirav Patel says “We want consumers to feel like the products [are] their’s…they can do whatever they like with it. And that’s just this mindset shift from how most consumer electronics products are treated.” Not only does he expect every Framework laptop to still be in use 10 years from now, but more than that, Patel wants to expand the idea to other tech categories, while also instilling a change in mentality.

Suddenly, the need to buy a new device is no longer there, because what you have can easily be repaired without breaking the bank, and if you feel the need to upgrade, there’s no need to pay exorbitant amounts. You just buy the necessary components and put in the shift yourself.

Truly giving people the right to repair and customize their products is certainly the right way to tackle the e-waste problem before it becomes an irreversible crisis.

Would you be willing to build you own laptop?

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