Dell says Linux will be a cheaper option than Vista
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Dell stated that the selection of laptops and desktops equipped with Ubuntu will be cheaper than those equipped with XP or Vista, but I can’t see how. All Windows based computers come with all sorts of bloatware and trialware that is simply not worth using but Dell and Microsoft get paid by those companies to do so. Most of the programs are completely useless but it does help mitigate the cost of the computer and offer up discounts.
Ubuntu won’t have any of that which is good but it would also stand to reason that any computer with Ubuntu installed should cost more. If we are to believe Dell, that will not be the case. I won’t believe it until I see some actual pricing but we already have written up in a previous post was the pricing scheme
“According to Wired Blogs you will have a choice of three models, an e-series Dimension desktop, an XPS desktop (what good is that with Linux on it) and an e-series Inspiron laptop. Prices are said to range from $400 to $900 for the desktops and $900 to $1150 for the laptops. As it stands now a basic Dell desktop with Vista can be had for $359 and a basic laptop for $549 so it does look like if you want Ubuntu you are going to pay a premium which in my opinion really isn’t worth it.â€
I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m not very good at math but from the looks of that… it appears the Ubuntu offerings will cost more but I don’t have any proposed specs for those machines either. Technically speaking, Dell could offer weaker machines with Ubuntu because it doesn’t require that much “horsepower†to run.
Whatever the case is, I simply can’t believe that an Ubuntu laptop will be cheaper than a Vista laptop unless the Ubuntu computers are equipped with weaker, less powerful hardware. The SeattlePI has a different view and one with which I don’t agree at all. The other caveat is Dell will not support Ubuntu, just the hardware. Ubuntu support can be purchased from Canonical Ltd. That’s just what I want to do, deal with two companies instead of one, not that I’ve had to deal with support scenarios very much so I have no idea how good/bad general support actually is.
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May 5th, 2007
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May 6th, 2007
From the linked seattlepi article:
“machines pre-installed with [Ubuntu] will be less expensive than PCs of the same configuration that come with Windows, [Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman] said”
That’s not “a different view”, that’s what Dell is actually saying
I can explain how it works; you forgot one thing in your cost equation (to be fair, Mr. Bolen didn’t really explain it well).
Windows Computer = Profit + Hardware + Windows OS - 3rd Party Software Bundling Fees + Phone Tech Support
The 3rd party software more-or-less pays for Windows, so that reduces to:
Windows Computer ~= Profit + Hardware + Phone Tech Support
For otherwise identical machines you can’t cut the hardware cost and they certainly don’t want to cut profit, which leaves telephone technical support.
So when Dell ran its survey about Linux computers, one of the questions was where people would like to get their support from. As per http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=284
“A majority of survey respondents said that existing community-based support forums would meet their technical support needs for a tested and validated Linux operating system on a Dell system (as opposed to first-class Dell technical support).”
So with no technical support offered for the software (Dell will only support the hardware), an Ubuntu computer from Dell = Profit + Hardware, which is less than the Windows computer by an apparently significant amount.
May 6th, 2007
At least they can purchase support but if they do then that might bring the cost right back up to where it was. I’m still having difficulty seeing how it can be that much cheaper but we’ll see.
May 6th, 2007
Once the user has all of their expensive windows applications replaced by (usually) more than suitable free software, then they’ll see the savings. Did I mention how they would use a single-easy application to install them all?
All I can see here is another blog by a disorientated Windows user who can’t believe the audacity (another free app) of Dell’s move. I see what you mean by the pricing issue, but have you ever tried to obtain support from Dell before? Have you seen how much the phone calls cost?
Nothing to see here, move along.
May 7th, 2007
You forgot one major cost that OEMs carry that they won’t have. Supporting Windows users with their “How do I right click?” and “Where’s the any key?” questions. I read one article in a call center industry magazine that said most computer OEMs incurred about $14 in costs every time a home user called tech support between telecom, man hours, warranty costs, etc.. So with hardware-only support, it makes sense for the cost to come out lower, offsetting the “Here’s a dime for every PC you sell with our ISP/trial version/crapware preinstalled” money.
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I simply can’t believe that an Ubuntu laptop will be cheaper than a Vista laptop unless the Ubuntu computers are equipped with weaker, less powerful hardware. The SeattlePI has a different view and one with which I don’t agree at all. The other caveat is Dell will not support Ubuntu, just the hardware. Ubuntu support can be purchased from Canonical Ltd. That’s just what I want to do
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