Luna concept: Dell hits hard with its upgradable and repairable laptop concept

The Luna Concept impressed us last year, rethinking the way a laptop was made with modular and scalable components. The classic design had been changed by slimming down the computer’s motherboard and positioning it behind the screen. All components could be easily replaced with just a few screws in the chassis.

Disassemble a PC without tools and without screws, it’s possible!

This year, Dell has not abandoned its concept and has even improved it. Now, all you have to do is activate a simple mechanism using a small spade (much like removing a SIM card from a smartphone) so that the strip located above the keyboard can be removed.

From then on, we remove the keyboard, then all the internal components and even the screen, without any tools! During the live presentation of the manipulation, the whole thing took less than a minute, with the parts simply connected using clips. Dell even worked with a small robotics company so that disassembly of the computer could be done by a robot. A small revolution still in concept, but which could transform the way we repair and replace our PCs.

It’s hard not to think of the modularity of the Framework, which already offers something similar in terms of repair and scalability (the motherboard and the processor can be substituted by the new generation, in particular), even if you have to bother with screws at the moment.

What future for this concept?

We imagine that Dell does not do so for fun and that the Luna could arrive on the market one day in this form or another, even if it is not planned for the moment. It is the whole production chain that needs to be rethought, as well as the after-sales service and the way in which the manufacturer would offer new products to its customers. One can imagine a chassis of which only the essential components (processor, battery) would be replaced from year to year before technological developments lead to changing the entire computer. An approach aimed at making other components last, whereas they are currently often thrown in the dump, even fully functional (screen, keyboard and speakers, for example).

The idea seems more than commendable to us, but Dell shouldn’t take too long to take the plunge, at least on one model before the concept takes dust. If a small manufacturer like Framework can do it, we suspect that a giant like Dell should do it. To be continued, and hopefully soon.