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Dell, one of the world’s leading PC manufacturers, is working to give its laptops more user-friendly repairability. He made fun of us last year with an early version of Concept Luna, which promised to use fewer screws and more sustainable materials in its construction. Now that construction of the concept is directed towards complete modularity.
The latest Luna device can be disassembled almost entirely in under a minute – only the display and chassis remain behind once the layers are removed. Unlike the similar DIY Portable frameworkwho announced a Chromebook version a few months ago, you don’t need a screwdriver to disassemble Concept Luna. But it involves a push-pin tool that acts as an unlocking mechanism of sorts. Dell also touted the robotic automation it’s deployed to help disassemble and repair laptops on a massive scale, emphasizing that “nothing goes to waste.”
At the very least, Concept Luna hints that more useful laptops are on the way from Dell, which the company says brings it “one step closer to a future where more devices are engineered with a modular design.” For example, Luna’s individual parts modules all have QR codes to them, which would theoretically allow a production version to more easily swap new parts in and out a la carte. This would also help Dell more easily recycle discarded modules.
Once a major brand like that embraces modularity in its production, the hope is that the rest of the industry will feel pressured to follow suit. This is good news for consumers, especially those who prefer laptops because they save space and don’t like feeling like they’re contributing to the ever-present demise of the planet. It’s also good news for the environment, because anything we can do to slow the apparent onset of climate changeand it’s better than nothing.
Also, I can’t help but think about my past repair experiences with Dell. I bought an XPS 15 last year and it shipped to me without a working headphone jack. Dell sent someone to help me but they discovered a faulty bluetooth module and eventually I had to send the laptop back to Dell to get it fixed. It was an annoying experience! I wish I had access to something like the Framework laptop, which already lets you scan the QR codes of components inside the computer to view the help guide and fix the problem yourself.
Naturally, the Framework laptop was also created for you to work on it yourself. Dell is still making welded-together unibody laptops like the XPS 15 that aren’t part of this revolution yet. Let’s hope Dell moves fast on Concept Luna so we can all stop having to send in our laptops for repair.
