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The Fairphone (Gen. 6)

(shop.fairphone.com)
155 points DavideNL | 3 comments | 25 Jun 25 09:58 UTC | HN request time: 1.815s | source
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roflcopter69 ◴[25 Jun 25 11:11 UTC] No.44375927[source]▶
Is it just me or does the discourse about a product like the Fairphone often feel kind of "culture war"-y? So many times I read comments where people are very upset and offended how a Fairphone costs way too much compared to other smartphones or how it supposedly is completely unusable because one feature does not work the way they expect. It's just strange. If you don't like it, don't buy it, no need to engage. But so many people seem to feel obliged to present their strong dislike for the Fairphone as if it's sole existence attacks them personally.
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1. fossgeller ◴[25 Jun 25 11:55 UTC] No.44376235[source]▶
I noticed the same general reactions for Framework laptops. Some folks are acting like these smaller companies are trying to force their products on the consumers, but their advertising is completely fine.

However I also find some of the supporters of consumer friendliness unbearable (e.g. Framework or Thinkpad fans).

I get that tribalism is present in many layers of our society and culture (politics, sports, music), but I always found it weirder when people do it for products. The only goal of a company is to maximize their profits, why someone becomes a die hard supporter of them is beyond me.

To summarize, I just wish people would put less emphasis on consumer practices. Buy a product you like and is beneficial for you, but don’t judge others for their choices.

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2. neogodless ◴[25 Jun 25 13:42 UTC] No.44377262[source]▶
> The only goal of a company is to maximize their profits

Overall this is effectively true, but it is not a law of the universe or anything.

Why can't a collection of people have ideals, want to support and realize those ideals through action, and also find a way to financially support themselves and even profit by pursuing those ideals?

The hypothesis you've put forth is that the group that founded Framework were sitting around thinking about the best way they could invest money to make money, and the best option they could come up with was to make modular laptops. What has their return on investment been thus far, and does it clearly and readily beat all other options they had for investing?

3. brookst ◴[25 Jun 25 14:03 UTC] No.44377477[source]▶
Plenty of companies choose different balances between profits and social impact. Compare Unilever and Nestle and tell me all companies are equally profit-focused. Look at Patagonia.

I agree with a live and let live view of purchasing decisions, and I agree that tribalism about companies is weird, but at the end of the day it’s far too reductive to say all companies prioritize profits equally.