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In cases where computers are available pre-installed with either Linux or Windows, it is almost always the case that either (a) the Linux one is slightly less expensive or (b) the Windows one is actually less expensive, so you might as well just buy the Windows version and install Linux. Apparently, this is not always the case.
I was really happy when Dell started selling mainstream PCs with pre-installed Ubuntu Linux. Other companies started shipping mass-market PCs and notebooks with Linux too. Well. Sort of. You see, except for Dell, everyone makes it a pain to get their Linux-enabled PCs. And, I'm sick of it.
Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 Netbooks running Windows XP and Ubuntu are on sale. But US newspaper advertisements from Dell and Best Buy show Dell’s Windows XP netbooks to be a far better bargain than Dell netbooks with Ubuntu Linux. Here are the details.
Faced with disappointing sales, HP and Dell are scaling back investments in 10-inch netbooks, with HP possibly quitting the format entirely, according to DigiTimes. Other motivators were said to include expectations for re-invigorated sales of larger, more expensive notebooks fueled by a recovering economy.
It would appear that Dell is making life difficult for UK customers who want to buy a Dell PC running Linux. Being a snooping journalist myself, I went to have a look for myself and indeed it is a lot harder to buy a Linux powered Dell than all the hype, fuelled in no small part by the Dell PR machine of course, would lead you to believe.
Whether you’re new to hardware as a service (HaaS) or a true HaaS veteran, keep an eye on the emerging NetBook market. NetBooks are low-cost sub-notebooks from companies like Dell, Asus and Sylvania. They typically cost $275 to $400 or so, and run Windows or Linux.
Dell has no intention of selling non-Windows consumer and commodity PCs/Notepads. They simply can’t as the net profit on a Dell system is derived directly from the Windows OS via “Desktop Real Estate” and any Microsoft leads and co-marketing funds [kickbacks] provided — and not from the hardware.
The New Dell Inspirion Mini 9 may well become my best friend. I noticed today that Dell is previewing their new line of Mini Notebook computers and they are impressive. The Dell Inspirion Mini 9 is Dell's entry into the mini notebook market at a very low price point: $349.
