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When Framework CEO Nirav Patel announced the company's new Laptop 13 Pro, he called it the "MacBook Pro for Linux users", highlighting its sleek new build and premium touches -- combined with the modularity and customization Framework's laptops are known for. You can certainly draw comparisons to the MacBook Pro. However, the more timely comparison here is to the MacBook Neo, Apple's 13-inch, $599 laptop that has shaken up the affordable PC market not just because of its price, but also because of its improved repairability.

Also: I saw Framework's new 'MacBook Pro for Linux users,' and it may entice Windows fans, too Other PC makers have admitted the Neo is a big deal for budget laptop makers; Nick Wu, CFO of Asus, called the MacBook Neo "a shock to the entire market". But Framework's Patel told me in a recent video call that his company is well-situated to take on the Neo.

"Of all the PC brands out there, we're probably the least impacted," he said. "We launched the [Framework] 12 a year ago in response to the sub-$1,000 market, which is pretty dismal."