[mntmn]

Keep in mind this is boutique hardware with very low volume, the device has a mechanical keyboard, and the case is milled and anodized aluminum. We are 3 people in the shop plus a network of freelancers. But unlike Apple, we can make open hardware and happily give you full control over the device, and you can communicate directly with us. This is a totally different scenario.

The CPU/RAM module is not the price defining aspect here, and we're ready for faster chips when they come out. The idea is you can upgrade for a fraction of the price of buying a new device.

[Corrado]

Are you saying that it's possible to upgrade the CPU? If so, that would be game changing and would put the price point in a whole new light. I can imagine "upgrading" my computer to a faster processor like we do with RAM. That means you wouldn't have to dispose the old machine and re-install all the software. That's gotta be worth something to some people!

[mntmn]

Yes, the CPU/GPU (SoC) and RAM are together on a SODIMM-200-shaped module.

[thescriptkiddie]

> I can imagine "upgrading" my computer to a faster processor like we do with RAM

Am I going insane, or is our collective memory of user-serviceable computer hardware already fading?

[theodric]

There are a lot of people alive now who were not caring-about-socketed-CPUs-in-laptops-years-old when that was a thing (and even then, I had at least three 386SX laptops with soldered-on CPUs)

[NovemberWhiskey]

I do get that this isn't trying to compete with the closed-hardware market; no-one is cross-shopping the MNT Reform 2 with a MacBook Air (which does also have a milled, anodized aluminum case).

It's mostly just a note of despair about how large the gap is; you really have to care about the open hardware aspect to make the choice.