100%. It was probably due to some EU lawsuit or other, and rather than make 2 designs (US / EU), they just changed the design to make everyone happy.

It's weird that US companies basically need to be sued by the EU for stuff to be consumer friendly..

> I sincerely doubt framework was even a factor in the decision making ...

Oh, you may be surprised at how closely Apple watches and reacts to PR and its competitors - it's one of the things they do right and are really good at. Some examples:

1. After Apple's very successful launch of the iPhone, they got a huge shock in Europe when Jolla, a small, new startup of ex-Nokia employees launched a phone with a new mobile OS that outsold the iPhone. When Apple realised that Jolla's marketing emphasised "user privacy", Apple strategically temporarily shelved its plan to collect user data (for which it was getting bad PR) and even pretended to abandon their advertising platform. And that worked out very well for them because luckily for them Jolla was mismanaged, and failed.

2. Frame.work has received highly positive reviews from both the media and users / patrons all of whom have acknowledged and appreciated the creativity and innovative use of existing technology to create a highly repairable laptop. While it may not have outsold any Mac device yet, the PR buzz it has generated has focused public spotlight back on right-to-repair and created new awareness and appreciation for repairable electronics. Invariably, comparison has been made with Apple's popular yet deliberately hard-to-repair devices and you can bet that it has made Apple quite uncomfortable. (With regulators breathing down their neck about right-to-repair, the last thing Apple needs is an innovative competitor that tauts repairability as a feature).

3. When Apple released a Mac Mini with soldered RAM and SSD, the criticism and poor sales forced them to backtrack and release the next Mac Mini with replaceable RAM. (Again, a temporary strategic withdrawal).

4. The current and new Apple iPhones size and design are inspired by Sony mobiles phones, one of the few companies in the world that still has their own design division and produces amazing phones with great hardware.

5. The whole "thin device" craze at Apple was inspired by a Motorola phone. (And ofcourse, it remains popular as it aids their "planned obsolescence" goal for their devices).

I am not completely disparaging Apple - reacting to PR and their competitors is something giants sometimes ignore at their peril. But Apple doesn't, and they cleverly calibrate their strategy to maintain their competitive lead.

(I'd even say the article linked to is just a fluff piece trying to convey the impression that the new Apple laptop is suddenly a more easy to repair device because the battery is no longer glued like before but uses stretchable adhesive :). I recently repaired an iPhone SE and the battery adhesive broke as I was pulling it carefully and after that it was a real pain to remove it without damaging anything - easy to repair, my ass.)

So in just a few months Apple pivoted all their years of planning, engineering, design, supply chain and production for the new Pros to "compete" with a small startup that sells probably less in total than what Apple might sell in 12 minutes?

Right...

Snark aside, the 2021 Pros seem well balanced between moving things forward hardware wise, and still offering enough I/O. They're likely not perfect at all, and for me the M1 Air is more than enough.

But all those things - planning, engineering, design and supply chain and last mile distribution take years to execute on, not weeks or months.

Yes, I do honestly believe that Apple does respond to negative PR and potential competitors (minor or otherwise). It's one of the things I admire about them.

But my earlier comment itself was partially snarky to what is essentially a puff piece trying to convey that the new Apple laptops is now more "repairable" - "Oh my god! Apple has replaced the glue they use on their battery with stretchable adhesive that is now easier to remove!"

Not arguing the fact they do respond.

Just that the timelines on products are very long especially with hardware. There are no fast or simple pivots, and not usually in months - more like years on many things.