Framework founder says that ‘personal computing as we know it is dead’ — vows to keep building ‘computers that you can own at the deepest level’

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You will own nothing and be happy about it.

Framework Laptop 16
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

“There is a very real scenario in which personal computing as we know it is dead,” says Framework founder Nirav Patel.

In a blog announcing the company’s Framework [Next Gen] Event 2026 on April 21, Patel decried the “winner takes all” race currently happening in the computer industry, especially as various AI tech companies are consuming memory and storage chips, and even processors, at an unprecedented pace. He noted that despite its achievements in helping push for a more repairable, upgradable, and customizable laptop ecosystem, the personal computing market is under incredible pressure.

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Unfortunately, these AI companies are backed by massive investments, meaning the average consumer has no recourse against these tech giants. “It’s clear that the fundamentals of computing and electronics have changed. The computer in the cloud has increasingly greater economic output than the computer in the hand.

This means that to the extent that there are constraints on the supply that feeds both, the cloud will win every time,” Patel said. He also added, “The industry is asking you to own nothing and be happy. Computers are no longer a bicycle for the mind. They are becoming the self-driving car that takes you directly to the destination.”

Still, Framework said that it will not take this lying down. Its event announcement also doubled as its own manifesto, saying that “as long as there is a person in the world who still wants to own their means of computation, we will be here to build the hardware that enables it,” and that it “will always be fighting for a future where you can own everything and be free.”

This niche company has been going against the grain of the wider laptop industry trend of non-repairable, non-upgradeable parts. Framework laptops are fully upgradeable — from memory and storage to the GPU, motherboards, and even the display.

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Jowi Morales
Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • coolitic
    It's a bit ironic coming from a dude whose company sells semi-luxury-priced PCs with a niche appeal.
    Reply
  • Findecanor
    Clickbait headline. What he means is that AI is killing personal computing.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    Findecanor said:
    Clickbait headline. What he means is that AI is killing personal computing.
    This.
    Reply
  • helper800
    coolitic said:
    It's a bit ironic coming from a dude whose company sells semi-luxury-priced PCs with a niche appeal.
    "semi-luxury," you are really stretching here.
    Reply
  • arrkaye
    Lord, does this actually make computers or does he just talk smack all day?
    Reply
  • hotaru251

    “There is a very real scenario in which personal computing as we know it is dead.”

    This quote does not match your headline title.

    Clickbait at its worst.
    Do better.
    Reply
  • usertests
    You only need to pay $100-200 for a decent entry into "personal computing". Plenty of fun games will run on a 10 year old iGPU.

    We will see the prices of all components decline eventually, unless we get WW3, at which point you won't care.

    Even that island getting invaded won't kill the PC forever.

    To address what's actually said in the blog post:
    That means computers that you can own at the deepest level and do what you want with, whether that is choosing your OS, modifying your hardware, or even just keeping your data and computation local rather than leased from the cloud.
    This is basically how Nirav is defining personal computing as advanced by Framework. All 3/3 are still achievable by picking up a used device, or even a new laptop in which you can only replace simple components like the SSD. I argue that "less" repairable devices, soldered memory, etc. isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. Framework even offers a Strix Halo desktop/board on which they had to resort to using soldered LPDDR5X like everyone else.
    Reply
  • Concerned Liberty
    usertests said:
    You only need to pay $100-200 for a decent entry into "personal computing". Plenty of fun games will run on a 10 year old iGPU.

    We will see the prices of all components decline eventually, unless we get WW3, at which point you won't care.

    Even that island getting invaded won't kill the PC forever.

    To address what's actually said in the blog post:

    This is basically how Nirav is defining personal computing as advanced by Framework. All 3/3 are still achievable by picking up a used device, or even a new laptop in which you can only replace simple components like the SSD. I argue that "less" repairable devices, soldered memory, etc. isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. Framework even offers a Strix Halo desktop/board on which they had to resort to using soldered LPDDR5X like everyone else.
    So, in essence, what you're saying is consumers should just be happy about only being able to afford entry level or outdated hardware?
    Reply
  • Shiznizzle
    usertests said:
    You only need to pay $100-200 for a decent entry into "personal computing". Plenty of fun games will run on a 10 year old iGPU.

    We will see the prices of all components decline eventually, unless we get WW3, at which point you won't care.

    Even that island getting invaded won't kill the PC forever.

    To address what's actually said in the blog post:

    This is basically how Nirav is defining personal computing as advanced by Framework. All 3/3 are still achievable by picking up a used device, or even a new laptop in which you can only replace simple components like the SSD. I argue that "less" repairable devices, soldered memory, etc. isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. Framework even offers a Strix Halo desktop/board on which they had to resort to using soldered LPDDR5X like everyone else.
    Buy a dirt cheap 1060 6 GB and get the last driver to support the card. I think in the 580 range.

    I played Tomb Raider Shadows on that card just fine. Limited eye candy of course but the card itself is still capable of play anything offered today. Just have to turn down the eye candy to get the FPS that makes games playable.

    Suppot for a card that is not even 10 years old dropped already. Nuts. This is as bad as microslop forcing hardware upgrades so they can spy on more people.

    @1080p this card is more than capable.
    Reply
  • cuvtixo
    Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but won't all those Data Centers be flooding the market when they upgrade or close in favor of new centers with newer components? And that would generally be good for consumers, right? Or will they just burn through those GPUs, etc? I don't fully understand how these data centers use their components, I sure would like to know.
    It's a bit ironic coming from a dude whose company sells semi-luxury-priced PCs with a niche appeal.
    That's just trolling. I've upgraded the motherboard on one of my Framework laptops and am looking to upgrade again. It's a first for me, and, I have been looking to that for years! Mid 90s Compaq Armadas 11xx and Conturas 4xx used the same case. That's the only other laptop lineups I know of where laptop motherboard transplant is possible! "Niche appeal" perhaps, but I got my money's worth, for sure.
    Reply