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Linux Version of Framework's Laptop 13 Pro is Outselling Its Windows Variant (pcworld.com) 68

Posted by EditorDavid from the week-of-the-Linux-laptop dept.
Framework began shipping its new Laptop 13 Pro this week. And the Ubuntu variant is outselling the Windows variant, reports PC World: [I]t's selling quickly by Framework's internal metrics, with six batches of the Intel version of the laptop already sold out. [A later Framework social media post added "Spoke too soon, we're onto Batch 8."]

"Also nice validation of our approach, the Ubuntu configurations are outselling the Windows ones!"

That's not really surprising, for a few reasons. One, if you're buying a Framework laptop, you have a good reason to order it without an OS, even if you want Windows 11. It's easy to get it free or cheap elsewhere. (Framework says it's not counting the "None (bring your own)" option in these Ubuntu numbers.) Two, there are precious few places to order a new laptop with any kind of Linux pre-loaded — you've got Framework, a few smaller vendors like System76 and Slimbook, and a few models from Dell. Lenovo sold Ubuntu-loaded laptops at one point, but I can't find any on the site right now...

Perhaps it doesn't hurt that Microsoft and Windows are currently on a bit of an apology tour. After a couple of years of pushing hard on "AI" features that no one wants — not even the people who do want "AI" want the Copilot flavor — Microsoft is pulling back its integration into everything and now promising features that Windows has been missing ever since Windows 10.
Framework also reports that:
  • More than one third of purchasers say they're replacing a MacBook Pro, "and almost all of them are switching to Linux (based on our optional post-purchase survey)."
  • "Also in interesting sales data, the Gray/Black keyboard is vastly outselling the traditional Black one!"

Linux Version of Framework's Laptop 13 Pro is Outselling Its Windows Variant More | Reply

Linux Version of Framework's Laptop 13 Pro is Outselling Its Windows Variant

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  • Of course it is. It's cheaper. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TheMiddleRoad ( 1153113 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @02:18PM (#66113276)
    Save $100 bucks. Use a cheap Windows serial bought online, or install a cracked version of Windows with much of the BS removed. Relatively few are actually going to run Linux primarily.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Presence Eternal ( 56763 )

      I honestly think Windows 11 is worse than Manjaro with KDE for most use cases, including novice and intermediate use. Honestly if Linux isn't there for you yet, buy a Mac mini. Windows is currently the operating system most likely to change things, to break things, to render itself unusable. Windows has been LOSING functionality, everyone else has been gaining it.

      • Windows has certainly been getting worse for at least a year. Windows 10 was great. Windows 11 was fine at first. However, as a regular user of Ubuntu for a device that is Ubuntu specific, I think that the Linux desktop is still a mess. I regularly have to go to the command line, and so much software just doesn't work. I'll pretty much need a Codex account to get it to function.

        • I mentioned Manjaro with KDE specifically because I do not think Ubuntu's default ways of doing things are a good match for someone who used to like Windows. I do not know if it would solve some or any of a given person's problems with compatibility and usability, but I feel it is more like Windows was supposed to become than Windows itself currently is. The basic, elemental usability of the platform I unironically think is better than Windows right now. It gives a very Windows 7 pro power user vibe to me.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Scoth ( 879800 )

            KDE has pretty much always aimed (intentional or not) to beWindowsish in its interface, integrations, shortcuts, basic menus, etc. It works very similarly with how it launches built-in helper applications, handles network and internet integration, general window handling and options, and such. There are also themes that do a passable job of making it mimic Macs if someone prefers that.

            I was/am a long-time Windows user who has been using Linux on and off since the late 90s and pretty much 100% for a few year

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Scoth ( 879800 )

          I see this a lot and I genuinely don't understand it. I'm not saying it's not happening to you or questioning your experience exactly, it's just not been mine for a long time. I use Linux almost exclusively across a bunch of different devices and laptops and things and I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to use a command line for anything. One was when the proprietary Nvidia driver on my main PC got so goofed up I had to do some manual work to clear it out and reinstall it. Another was when

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by allo ( 1728082 )

          Windows 10 was great. Windows 11 was fine at first.

          Neither were ever good. You got used to them, but there were no good Windows after seven.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        It's all very conditional. People are going to have a much better experience with a pre-installed Framework laptop or a Steam Deck than they will trying to load Manjaro onto their random HP shitbox.

        There's also the issue of what distro to pick. Ubuntu remains popular, but in my experience is one of the worst for being broken out of the box and having bad long term support. I've head Pop OS is good, but never tried it.

        Then there's the Linux "community"... Honestly I think a big part of Linux making headway n

      • > Windows is currently the operating system most likely to change things, to break things, to render itself unusable

        I'm writing this on a Mac, so I'm not being knee-jerk here, but I think this claim properly needs to be hung on Apple right now.

        The latest OS and its moronic "Liquid Glass" effects are almost certainly going to go the way of the cassette tape display in Podcasts, so I expect some breakage in the future.

        On the other hand, they don't change the Settings app *every freaking release*...

    • Re:Of course it is. It's cheaper. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Powercntrl ( 458442 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @02:34PM (#66113296) Homepage

      This is a relatively spendy laptop we're talking about here. If you really wanted to run Windows, going with a laptop from a different manufacturer would save you even more money. That's always kind of been the irony of the so-called "Windows tax", skipping Windows really only works in your favor when you're buying individual desktop components. When it comes to prebuilt machines though, unless you're dead-set on a specific brand, it's often cheaper to just buy something that already has Windows preinstalled.

      It's rumored that large OEMs pay somewhere around $5-$10 for a Windows Home license, so if you're buying something like a Lenovo or Dell, you're not actually paying very much extra for the preinstalled copy of Windows (that you may or may not even want).

      • You're right about it not being a money saver overall, but if you're going to get a Framework laptop, choosing without Windows is a money saver there. I love the idea of Framework, but none of their products are compelling. I looked at their laptop a couple years ago then bought a Dell that cost more but is much nicer (4k, touch, lighter). I looked at their Strix Halo and bought a GB10 (faster, scalable).

      • Re:Of course it is. It's cheaper. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by sarren1901 ( 5415506 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @07:55PM (#66113698)

        I was under the impression when you bought a windows laptop, that all the other junk that's preinstalled is subsidizing the cost of the hardware. The last time I bought a laptop, I did a great deal of research to find one that would definitely work with Xubuntu. I also found during my research, that pre-installed Linux machines were costing MORE then the Windows version. A real head scratchier on the surface.

        I am happy with my Dell but they definitely didn't make it easy to install Linux. For starters, it refused to boot from USB. I ended up having to partition the hard drive to include an installation partition where I had the Linux iso stored. Then, I had go into the BIOS and point the shim to let me boot from that partition. I eventually got it working just fine, but it wasn't trivial.

        I also didn't want to just wipe the drive, as I did want Win11 as a boot option for the super rare case that I needed windows. So far, I've only needed it for one single game that's been long dead and can only be played on a private server now. I rarely boot to Windows on that machine.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          That's exactly how it works. Microsoft gives discounts to get Windows on there, and then they load it up with ads and make money off the conversions from people buying McAfee subscriptions.

          You can buy Thinkpads without an OS, which is cheaper than both the Windows and Linux options. Framework don't seem to offer Linux when I try to configure their laptops, it's Windows or no OS. They just have decent support for Linux, but am I right in thinking that you are on your own installing and configuring it?

      • This is a relatively spendy laptop we're talking about here. If you really wanted to run Windows, going with a laptop from a different manufacturer would save you even more money.

        That's irrelevant. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean you blow even more money for something you can do otherwise. All of my friends have pre-built PCs, 2 of them with RTX xx90 series graphic cards that cost more than a small second hand car. None of them paid full price for a windows license.

      • Lenovo and HP have an exclusive contract with French public institutions to provide desktop and laptop computers, it is a contract valued in the hundred of millions of euros. Still, the option to have Windows 11 pro preinstalled is charged around 100 euros.

      • The Microsoft Tax was always a canard - OEM paid a trivial amount per system shipped, then third-parties paid the OEM to bundle their 'bloatware' and those bloatware fees almost always offset the MS license key cost (for Hone versions). On top of that, MS offered advertising/marketing money to advertise computer models that ONLY shipped with Windows installed and the advertising included Windows logo...

        People acted like the OEM paid the $139 retail price for windows, so they wanted it removed.

    • I suspect not. I was a die hard windows user up till about a year ago. Win 10/11 killed windows for me too much bloat, ads, and AI being rammed down our throats. I switched to Linux Mint and haven't looked back.
      • I've tried Linux on and off for about 25 years. Still not loving it. Skilled Linux users I know? Similar complaints about the difficulty in setting up difficult software. Windows is still my go to. Mac, well, I wish they had a touch screen.
        • I'd call Win10/11 and Linux at least Mint on a level ground as far as minor issues. I tolerated Win10, When I saw and used Win11 I was done. Win7 was the last Windows that Microsoft got right. They should go back to that code base and try again.

        • I'm genuinely interested to know what difficult to setup software you are referring to. Do you mean trying to run Windows software on Linux? If so, then yeah, that can most certainly be tedious. Otherwise, installing software on Linux is typically just a command or two in the console.

          The more I think about it, I think the only tedious software to setup was some DB software and even that was just reading and answering the prompts. Not rocket science.

          • DGX Spark and a wide variety of AI software to run locally. It's a huge mess on Ubuntu.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Scoth ( 879800 )

            For the main full-featured distros like Ubuntu, Manjaro, Fedora, etc you don't even have to use the console for most software. They all have "app stores" with tons of stuff in there from the big hitters like browsers, big office suites, email, etc on down to random little tools for random uses.

            I've also been using Linux for nearly 30 years now and am very comfortable with it, but I wouldn't expect your average Windows switcher to want to have to mess with the console at all period for any use.

            • Maybe it's just me, but when I first started dabbling with Linux in the early 2000s, one of the things that attracted me to the platform was the console and that I could open a config file, edit some stuff, and bam, I was in action. Windows, you had to hope and pray all the utilities worked, etc. It always felt like Linux had so much more to offer a power user then Windows ever did. Windows only stayed relevant for me because of gaming.

              It wasn't until about a year before Win7 EOLed that I finally jumped shi

    • >"Save $100 bucks. Use a cheap Windows serial bought online, or install a cracked version of Windows with much of the BS removed."

      Or save your sanity, privacy, and security and install only Linux on it for $0.

      >"Relatively few are actually going to run Linux primarily."

      And you know this how?

    • That is a pretty ridiculous assertion. Framework is the type of hardware that specifically appeals to Linux users. It makes sense that most of their customers would use Linux.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      You seem to have overlooked that the ones sold _without_ OS are not included in the Linux numbers. Anybody that bought one of the Linux models wanted Linux to be installed. And hence your "argument" vanishes. You were just regurgitating the parts of the story you actually saw anyways,

      • If having Linux installed costs exactly as much as no os option, I can see a potential customer choosing Linux if only to play with it before wiping the HD/SSD and installing Windows with your own key.

        Why not?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      Or, maybe given Framework is more of an enthusiast brand. No Joe walking into Best Buy is going to ask for a Framework laptop. And likely no regular consumer looking at laptops is going to consider Framework.

      Framework is a brand for computing enthusiasts - those who know their stuff, and computing enthusiasts are more likely going to either buy it and get a cheap Windows key as mentioned, or actually use Linux for their day to day activities.

      It's just the nature of the beast. Computing enthusiasts are just

    • Also counter: maybe there's some coorelation to the folks that'll nerd out over being able to customize their hardware and the people that'd nerd out over not having a bog standard OS?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by allo ( 1728082 )

      Plan this, then try Linux because it' already installed and stay with it. Even when only 10% of the "I buy windows" people do this, it's a loss for Microsoft.

    • Framework charges $200 for bundling Windows 11 Pro, seems like a lot for something you could get with a Windows 7 COA on a computer you find in a dumpster...

      If you are smart enough to configure your own laptop you are likely smart enough to avoid paying retail for a windows license.

  • Maybe it would ALWAYS sell more then Windows if it was offered on their prebuilt setups.

    Here's hoping they offer it on more of them.

  • So, are these actually intended for serious use? Who buys keyboards without numpads, except for the retro kiddies with their custom mechanical keyboards?

    • Re:The gray/black keyboard has no numpad (Score:4, Informative)

      by Misagon ( 1135 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @04:36PM (#66113420)

      No 13" laptop has a numpad. They are not wide enough to fit one beside the main keyboard.

      If you want a numpad, you could get a Framework 16".
      But unlike every other 16" laptop, Framework's numpad is an option: you could choose between having a numpad, and having spacers on the sides of the main keyboard.
      Or you could get both options and switch when you like.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dargaud ( 518470 )
        I don't understand why there's not more choice in laptop options. Keyboard with/without numpad, with/without Windows or Option or AltGr key, with/without Home/End/Insert/Del/PgUp/PgDown/Arrow key. Touchpad with/without bottom buttons, top buttons or nipple. I'm typing this on a 13 year old Dell 19" with a fantastic keyboard that still runs Kubuntu perfectly. I recently bought a used laptop for a family member and I had a hard time finding one with a usable keyboard.

      • Personally, I am not an accountant and I like having my keyboard centered on my laptop, not offset to make room for a num pad.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Nobody young seems to use numpads anymore. Some of my students even bring external keyboards for their laptops (which almost always do not have numpads). So far I have not seen a single external keyboard with numpad among them.

    • So, are these actually intended for serious use? Who buys keyboards without numpads, except for the retro kiddies with their custom mechanical keyboards?

      I mostly buy keyboards with numpads because that's what decent but inexpensive keyboards come with. What serious users actually use the number pad? I don't do data entry.

      • Outside of laptops, where there are serious design problems with including one (though as my eyes get worse, 15" laptops - which Lenovo has proven can have a decent numpad - become more and more attractive), I always get keyboards with a numeric keypad.

        Here's the problem: it's not about data entry for most of us, it's about what we do when an application that expects a keyboard that at least had all the keys on it that an IBM PC or PC/XT had in 1981, decides to use the numeric keypad for something specific.

        • Am I weird for wanting to play old but excellent games? Sure! But I still want to play old but excellent games!

          No, not at all. I sometimes play a game that requires the "shift lock" key, something not present on any PC keyboard. But I'm not exactly a common case here.

          Thing is not a lot requires a numeric keypad these days since laptops outsell desktops. The old days of having a fuckoff massive desk because you had a giant CRT (with a small screen haha) on top of a pizza box case are gone. Now, desk space is

          • FWIW https://www.keychron.com/produ... [keychron.com] has more or less the layout I've been using (several keyboard manufacturers make keyboards like this.) Despite the lack of legends on the numeric keypad it is a navigation pad when Num Lock is off. I think that's a decent compromise, and it's close to a Model F but fixes the main problem by moving the F keys up to the top.

            I think if that's too big for a desktop, then the desktop probably has ergonomic problems anyway!

            • FWIW https://www.keychron.com/produ [keychron.com]... has more or less the layout I've been using (several keyboard manufacturers make keyboards like this.) Despite the lack of legends on the numeric keypad it is a navigation pad when Num Lock is off. I think that's a decent compromise, and it's close to a Model F but fixes the main problem by moving the F keys up to the top

              I like the re esc key, it's a bit BBC (that was the F-keys).

              I think if that's too big for a desktop, then the desktop probably has ergonomic problems

              • While I generally love mechanical keyboards anyway (I definitely have fewer typos on a red or brown), the other nice aspect of them is that they have key styles that aren't just "same colour/shade as all the others, letters in the top corner"

                I know there's an audiophile-like element to many mechanical keyboard advocates, so I get why people get turned off by the advocacy, especially seeing many advocate absurdly expensive $300 keyboards (for reference, the one I bought was under $50), but they're definitely

  • ...posting some benchmarks?

  • Never run Windows on bare metal! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Misagon ( 1135 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @04:43PM (#66113428)

    Linux as host OS is the way.

    I think that if you are going to run MS Windows at all, then you should run it in a virtual machine that supports snapshots.
    Then, if you'd get a bad Windows Update -- which MS has had a tendency to push out much too often lately -- then you would be able to roll back your Windows installation to a previous snapshot instead of getting a bricked computer.

    Your data should also never be on the C: drive, for the same reason.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dargaud ( 518470 )
      Yup, been running like that for well over 20 years. Windows is shit and I'll retire long before I am forced to use Win11.

  • Wipe (Score:4, Interesting)

    by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @05:20PM (#66113482)

    >"Framework says it's not counting the "None (bring your own)" option in these Ubuntu numbers."

    I run nothing but Linux on all my hundreds of machines, including all my personal ones, and have for decades. For personal laptops, my preference has been ThinkPads for quite a while. I don't care what it comes with, it is going to get wiped and replaced with Linux immediately. No dual boot. I will buy whatever OS option for it that is least expensive (MS-Windows, whatever Linux, or no OS).

    If I were in the market for a Framework, which might happen one day, I certainly wouldn't care if Linux were "preinstalled", and if it were Ubuntu, it is certain to be wiped and replaced with Mint or something else. If the Ubuntu option were the same cost as zero OS, I would opt for Ubuntu, even though I would wipe it, simply to show Linux support.

    • In the same boat, except probably only 2 dozen machines if I count my pi's and beagle bones. After I retired my sun boxes in the aught's, all Linux.

  • Let's face it. There are very few people buying Framework Laptops. The Framework Laptop is a "weird" niche product appealing to an even weirder niche demographic. That the weirdos choose Linux is a surprise to no one.

    Meanwhile, when Dell puts Ubuntu on its laptops Linux sales are abysmal.

    • Weird I had to scroll down more than halfway to find this. People buying this laptop are special. Of course they make special choices.

  • Framework makes the dream work (Score:3)

    by WaffleMonster ( 969671 ) on Sunday April 26, 2026 @08:08PM (#66113708)

    The framework laptops look nice. I wish they had a keyboard option with a trackpoint and a smartcard module.

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