Dell's modular laptop can be a game changer
The Concept Luna will be a great success for the repairability movement If the product does make it to the market,
It has been one year since Dell made the 'Concept Luna' announcement, a completely repairable and upgradable laptop using environmentally friendly components. With every part – from the memory and SSD to the keyboard and the screen – being detachable and changeable, this product might just be a game-changer for champions of the right to repair as well as those who prioritise environmental sustainability.
However, the product seems not ready for market as it hasn't come to the market after a year since the announcement.
Despite this, Dell asserts that it has made some headway on the project. To be more specific, it has "worked over the last year to further enhance the modular design of Concept Luna, removing the need for adhesives and wires, and decreasing the usage of screws." This was done in order to improve the product's modularity.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The company says they are up to a system that can be disassembled in "mere minutes".
This is an ambitious claim, but Dell does, at the very least, have some evidence to back it up. During a recent demonstration, they showed a number of robots disassembling the gadget.
The parts of the Concept Luna prototype laptop can be dismantled by hand and there is no need for any tools, not even a screwdriver. You are able to remove the batteries and fan, as well as the keyboard and speakers.
The laptop was deftly taken apart and then put back together again by robots at Dell, which displayed on a screen different data on each component as they worked.
However, the company did not provide a schedule for a launch. In fact, it is not even entirely obvious if they intend to offer a product similar to this in the future. Throughout the course of the Luna presentation, Dell's presenter underlined that the company is still essentially experimenting with the concept of a completely repairable laptop.
It is possible that the final output of this effort will not be a single totally reparable device but rather an enhancement in the repairability of a wide variety of distinct Dell devices.
