Dell's Ubuntu Ultrabook $250 More Than Windows 8 Version

[Guest]

Dell released a Linux version of its XPS 13 Ultrabook with preliminary ship dates in the second week in December, if ordered today.

Dell's Ubuntu Ultrabook $250 More Than Windows 8 Version : Read more

 

[echondo]

What the Hell is this crap?! We finally have laptops/desktops coming with Linux pre-installed, but at an outragoues price?!

A regular consumer is going to go into Best Buy and see two identical laptops, one is way cheaper and the other is expensive, but the same specs. The consumer sees that the expensive one has Ubuntu as a OS and the cheaper one has Windows. They will assume that Ubuntu must be a new OS and is expensive to have such a high inflation.

This is asinine.

 

[K2N hater]

What sort of developer would work on a 13-inch screen?

 

[Guest]

Who cares? You guys act like you can't throw Ubuntu on the Windows 7 laptops.

 

[bustapr]

this is worse news for the linux community than it is good. ubuntu is supposed to be the free alternative to windows. you nor the developer have to pay a fee(that I know of), whereas windows costs $100. people will get the wrong idea about linux. and from an economic viewpoint, I dont see how Dell thinks this is a good idea(unless M$ is pulling some strings). no idea what dell is doing because it sure isnt trying to make money.

 

[bustapr]

[citation][nom]Bagel_IRL[/nom]Who cares? You guys act like you can't throw Ubuntu on the Windows 7 laptops.[/citation]
i think peoples problem here is that dell is setting a bad image of linux AND is charging more for something that should cost much less.

 

[HDmac]

>>Buy windows computer
>>Wipe HDD
>>Install Ubuntu
>>Win
>>?????

 

[echondo]

[citation][nom]Bagel_IRL[/nom]Who cares? You guys act like you can't throw Ubuntu on the Windows 7 laptops.[/citation]

No, that's not the point. The point here is that the regular average Joe consumer will see Ubuntu as an overpriced cash grab and won't even bother looking into what Ubuntu actually is and just buy the Windows 7 version and call it a day. What SHOULD have been the base price for the Ubuntu version is $700, or at least $750.

 

[greghome]

[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]i think peoples problem here is that dell is setting a bad image of linux AND is charging more for something that should cost much less.[/citation]
Ubuntu is free, ain't it?
So yea, it doesn't just cost less, it should have cost nothing at all

 

[animeman59]

Might as well just buy the cheaper ultrabook, and reload it with Ubuntu.

 

[mman74]

I love Ubuntu. So much so I would rather run Ubuntu on my old laptop than Vista (not saying anything I know). I would not however pay more for an Ubuntu machine than a Windows 8. This makes no sense whatsoever, and unless MS are subsidizing their machines or are receiving payment from MS to price up Ubuntu machines to make them less compelling, then this decision makes no sense to me. Either way this smells to me of anti-consumer business practices and I personally will never buy a machine from a company that would operates against its consumers.

 

[Scar89]

I agree. Most Linux users would just wipe the cheaper Windows one and regular Joe will just ignore this as the price is way higher. I don't know if they did some modding of the OS or wrote some good drivers or something, but it shouldn't cost that much.
Maybe they don't want to anger MS by undercutting their shiny new Win8 devices on price...

 

[bustapr]

[citation][nom]greghome[/nom]Ubuntu is free, ain't it?So yea, it doesn't just cost less, it should have cost nothing at all[/citation]
nothing at all for a ubuntu ULTRABOOK? I really dont think thats how things should work either...

 

[halcyon]

Dell is likely charging a premium because the don't expect to sell many of these and it may have cost more in labor/engineering to get Ubunto to copulate nicely with the hardware.

 

[clonazepam]

I'd totally charge more for a linux-based product when I factor in having to provide support for it. And what HALCYON said.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]echondo[/nom]No, that's not the point. The point here is that the regular average Joe consumer will see Ubuntu as an overpriced cash grab and won't even bother looking into what Ubuntu actually is and just buy the Windows 7 version and call it a day. What SHOULD have been the base price for the Ubuntu version is $700, or at least $750.[/citation]With no tech support! Just the way Linux should be.

 

[jhansonxi]

Not all Ubuntu Dell offerings cost more than Windows versions:
http://www.thevarguy.com/2012/11/28/dell-laptop-is-70-cheaper-with-ubuntu-linux/

 

[alcalde]

[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]i think peoples problem here is that dell is setting a bad image of linux AND is charging more for something that should cost much less.[/citation]

A lot of research suggests OEMs are paying $35-$50 per copy of Windows. A Linux PC shouldn't sell for much less than a Windows PC from the same manufacturer. The reason this laptop costs more is explained in the article: it has a different configuration than the lowest-end Windows models. It also is designed for developers and comes with beta versions of new open source software Dell is working on and includes one year of Pro Support. The headline is written to make people jump to the article in outrage. Unfortunately, some people don't bother reading the article, and the article also blathers on about all the different (irrelevant) Windows 7 and 8 configurations like a shell game to confuse the reader from the simple fact that there's nothing to see here regarding price.

 

[yorgos]

between win 8 and Ubuntu I'd choose win 8(regardless of the price).
if there was a real Linux distro, and not a bloated one, like Debian(which i use 7 years now) or fedora(gentoo, arch etc.) I'd definitely choose the Linux one.
I wonder who the hell develops in Ubuntu, that thing is worse and more bloated than android.It is even worse in the upcoming versions which are going to have Wayland, which is good only if you are a bug digger.

even Mint is superior to Ubuntu and cinnamon looks nice.

 

[awolfe63]

For the same price as the top of the line Windows version - you get a faster CPU and more DRAM. You also get Ivy Bridge instead of Sandy Bridge. That's not a rip-off.

 

[Bloob]

It's the same price as the Windows one with top specs, I don't see the problem here.

 

[olaf]

There might be a subsidy involved in there somewhere with the laptop sporting Wincrap 8, would't be far fetched that M$ is putting his wallet's weight behind pushing W8 onto people.

 

[halcyon]

Look, Windows8 with Start8 offers more than Windows7. More native hardware support and more performance. Start 8 is great (and I was skeptical) and the duo offers more options than Win 7 (some people like the Metro thang). At $45 there's really nothing to complain about except the hassle of having to purchase a 3rd party Start Menu ...if you want it

 

[unionoob]

The key is support.
Hell I will get flamed but anyways.
With windows you get support - all patches for free, now who will do patches for free for my Linux? anyone? No? But why no if Linux is free then do patches for free too for me. now at end please tell me what is cheaper to pay once for Windows or pay for every patch you need for linux.

 

[kellybean]

Higher Ubuntu price is set from a back room deal with their master Microsoft.