Framework is providing generational upgrades to motherboards, and repurposing superceded components into new enclosures so they keep working.
Yeah, its a total no-brainer that Framework offer better upgradeability and repairability than Apple. I think the point, though is that
anything with socketed RAM and/or M.2 drives is more user-upgradeable than current Macs, and that comes down to whether you think that the performance advantages of Apple's designs are more important.
One point that can't be over stressed is that
any PC with LPDDR RAM will have it soldered in - and something like the Framework that uses regular plug-in DDR SO-DIMMS will consume more power, use a bigger battery etc. and probably take a performance hit.
Last I looked there were two sides to the Framework's modularity - one was the use of regular RAM and M.2 modules and user-replaceable batteries that could be replaced and upgraded with standard parts (but that is available in many other PC laptops and takes a power/performance hit c.f. Apple Silicon). The idea that you could upgrade the SSD and put the old one in an external enclosure is only a revelation for Mac users - its pretty standard for PCs. The other was Framework-specific (although ISTR it was all open-sourced) things like the USB modules, mix-and-match displays, keyboards and trackpads and
easily swappable logic boards. I think you'd need to do a pretty in-depth analysis to decide how much that was going to help or hinder "the cause".
If I bought a laptop then, 12 months later, a new, slightly faster processor came out then:
Option a: Buy a new computer and sell/pass on my old laptop as a fully working system (or keep it as a spare myself)
Option b: Lucky me, I bought a Framework, I can swap out the logic board!
Option c: So what, my 12-month old computer still does what I bought it for, I don't really need it to be 10% faster.
Option (a) means that someone who might otherwise have bought a whole new computer doesn't need to so it could be a zero-sum game.
Option (b) means that an unused, perfectly-good 12-month old logic board is heading for the chipper
mainly because Framework gave me the upgrade option. OK, I
might be able to sell it but its only any good to someone else with a Framework and - right then - lots of other Framework users will be trying to offload the same old model. Or, framework will sell me a case to house the old MB and turn it into a mini PC - except, then, I still need the RAM, the SSD and even the power brick for my old machine, so I'll have to replace all of those - then I'll need a display, keyboard, mouse), plus I didn't
want a Mini PC, I wanted a faster laptop - so there's an evens chance that the result will just sit in a cupboard for a few years and
then go to landfill.
If you make your original purchase last 5 years then - by the time you need to upgrade chances are you'll want a new CPU, new faster/lower-power RAM tech, new higher-res display, a keyboard where you can still read the letters, USB-F/Thunderbolt 6/WiFi 8, and hardware support for we-haven't-thought-of-it yet. so even if you're still able to upgrade your Framework, 90% of the old parts will be landfill-bound, and probably too power-hungry for the 'repurpose as home server' trick.
OK, that's all glass-half-full stuff, but the point is that the "benefits" are not that simple and the Framework model is still ultimately about making you feel good about continuously buying new kit, whereas if you
actually give a wet slap about sustainability you should take option (c) and Just Say No to conspicuous consumption.
