Dell's modular concept PC can be popped open by inserting a key into the chassis:
In pursuit of sustainable product design, Dell has highlighted how it's using telemetry and robotics to speed up laptop repairs by showcasing updates to its concept laptop 'Luna'.
Some Dell laptops, like the 2017 Latitude E5270, have a repairability score of 10 out of 10 from right to repair advocate iFixit. Dell's Concept Luna laptop, which it unveiled last December, aims to go further with a design that has just four screws with minimal adhesives and soldering to hold internal components in place.
The design would allow a repairer to insert a screwdriver-like tool into the side of the device to unlock the chassis and from there remove the keyboard, display, fans, battery, motherboard and speakers by hand or a robotic equivalent.
The latest iteration on its modular laptop project sees the addition of telemetry to monitor individual components and a robot -- much like Apple's Daisy iPhone disassembler.
The telemetry part of Concept Luna aims to address the issue of hardware components wearing out at different stages, such as a motherboard failing when the keyboard and screen are still fine.
"Our Concept Luna evolution can equip and connect individual components to telemetry to optimize their lifespans. At its simplest, it's akin to how we maintain our vehicles: we don't throw away the entire car when we need new tires or brakes," Dell says in a blogpost.
The industrial robot has two arms that are geared up for disassembly and parts sorting.
"The exciting addition of robotics and automation serve as a catalyst to accelerate efficient device disassembly, measure component health and remaining usability, and better understand which components can be reused, refurbished or recycled -- so nothing goes to waste," Dell says.
"This vision has broad and profound implications for us, our customers and the industry at large, as we work together to reduce e-waste."
The concept has advanced to the stage that a Dell representative could disassemble the laptop in a demo for Ars Techinca within one minute. They demonstrated that the display could be removed by inserting a pin at the base of the screen that released a latch to allow it to be removed from the chassis.
Sustainability and repairability is moving up the agenda for consumers and for hardware makers, too. US and European lawmakers who want to reduce e-waste are also pushing forward with right to repair laws.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 21, @10:32PM (1 child)
Don't want parts lasting a year or two longer than necessary when they could save a few pennies, would they?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 21, @11:24PM
It's not about saving pennies, it's about optimizing the replacement cycle - as short as possible without losing too much market share.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 21, @11:07PM (3 children)
I was reading "designs of the future, today!" modular notebook specifications in the late 1990s... they haven't really taken off commercially yet.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Insightful) by looorg on Thursday December 22, @02:34AM (2 children)
Isn't that the thing? This is like Back to the Future, except not as fun and great. They are bringing back an idea that didn't pan out last time but now it's all shiny and new due to consumer-like-alzheimers. It's not even new-new. Other industries have been using it for some time. Just replace the big box of components instead of actually finding out what is broken and fix that one thing. So I don't know how they can claim this is more eco-friendly and sustainable. But I'm sure they'll find a way.
"A Screwdriver-like tool"? So how much is this new DELL patented magic special screwdriver-like-tool going to cost? Can you buy one if you are not a certified DELL repairman? Sure there will be copies eventually.
I like how they want to sell more Telemetry as a feature that is somehow good for you the consumer. Don't they know already? I'm just going to take a wild stab in the dark here for modern laptops that the thing that breaks are connectors/ports and the battery. Single components magic smoking? Not so much. More telemetry to optimize the lifespan, that just have to be code for them not wanting to to last to long after warranty lapses but long enough so it doesn't have to be replaced on their dime. After all they don't want to build a machine that last for a decade or anything.
(Score: 1) by Zoot on Thursday December 22, @03:02AM (1 child)
The problem with modular devices (laptops especially) is that a year or two from now they will have moved on to something else and no new compatible modular components will be made. Dell themselves has done this more than once over the years.
Modular systems also have more weight and failure points (connectors and related hardware) and they lock you in to that vendor's stuff.
It doesn't work for mobile phones either, for the same reasons. Not sure why the concept is so appealing to people.
Never was successful before, not going to survive this time either.
The only "modular" computer systems that actually work are bog standard desktop systems, but even there the number of generations of say CPU and memory you can "upgrade" to without chucking the motherboard as well is pretty limited.
(Score: 1) by BlueCoffee on Thursday December 22, @02:25PM
a year or two from now they will have moved on to something else and no new compatible modular components will be made
Sure, but every product you purchase today is like that. That's why fashion trends change every year-so gullible young people,and some older ones, can give away their money to buy into the newest and hippest ripped jean style or thick black eyeglass frame style just to be the trendiest person on the block.
and they lock you in to that vendor's stuff.
Oh they already do that by making laptops non-upgradeable. Instead of upgrading, you dish out for the full cost of a new laptop instead. Plus many customers return back to the same original manufacturer for accessories and peripherals so users are voluntarily locking themselves in anyways.
Laptops don't have to be100% modular, but minimally the user should be able to replace the battery or swap out the discharged battery with a fully charged one with a turn of a screw or press of a button. Maybe even allow the upgrading of the CPU & GPU. With my early 2000s Compaq I could replace the battery and upgrade the RAM by removing a couple screws. To do either on my newer HP I need to pry all around the seam, cut through the adhesive, lift up one side an inch and disconnect a couple connectors,remove the keyboard,remove a frame, then I can swap out the RAM or battery. That is insane!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Wednesday December 21, @11:22PM (1 child)
the Framework lappy:
https://frame.work/ [frame.work]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday December 24, @02:50AM
Framework is what I'm looking at or my next laptop.
I'd like a phone like that too.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Thursday December 22, @06:24AM
To have a modular laptop, you don't require telemetry. You just need an open specification, and the dedication (or sufficient external pressure) to stay with it.
Of course already the first part, an open specification, goes against the producer's wish for lock-in of their customers.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 1) by jman on Thursday December 22, @02:39PM
As Gaaark mentioned, this sounds a lot like the Frame.Work laptops. I purchased one in September and have been very happy with it. Got storage and memory elsewhere; they didn't care. Wanted Debian as the main boot distro, but ended up with Fedora for now, which just worked out of the box (Bullseye's older base kernel didn't like some of the machine's hardware).
Setting up a virtual WinDoze box was a breeze. Will want to get a Mac VM to work on it one of these days, just, well, because. It can probably be done. Those OpenCore people are amazing.
The Frame.Work machine comes with a dual-head screwdriver bit (PH #0, Torx #5), with the five bottom case screws using the latter, and designed not to fully come out of their socket, making it really hard to lose them if you're tinkering inside. You don't even need a spudger (the other side of the screwdriver); just loosen the screws and the bottom comes off with a tiny tug.
Replaced the keyboard with one that had no stencils. Bit of a pain, but only due to the some 30 screws that secure it to the chassis. Tedious, but not hard. Now my laptop looks just like the DAS Keyboard I had 20+ years ago, sitting on a shelf with other old hardware.
Where Frame.Work really shines is the four module slots. Need an HDMI? Just plug it in. Terabyte of storage? Just plug it in. An Ethernet plug? There's a module for that, too. It charges via USB-C, so any power brick will do, but I sprung for theirs. To prolong battery life, you can set the max charge in BIOS in case you leave it plugged in most of the time (they recommend 60%).
One supposes you could choose to have Ethernet, Storage, HDMI and DisplayPort going simultaneously, but then it wouldn't be able to charge, as you'd be out of module ports.
Having sworn never to buy a Fruity machine again until I can actually work on it (my 2009 MBP is still trucking, but showing signs of being long in the tooth. Core 2-Duo vs 12th-gen for the chip. 8GB vs 64GB for memory. Have replaced most parts in that machine over the years. It just won't die. John Cameron Swayze would be proud).
Thought I wouldn't like the "tiny" 13-inch screen, but it's really not that bad. The Frame.Work machine is a worthy replacement (but, to be fair, did cost about what that MBP did back in '09). The power button even serves as a fingerprint reader, for those that are into that kind of thing.
So, not cheap, but should last awhile.
Will have to see how that thought works out when it's as old as the MBP is now...