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.
Dell on February 15 ran newspaper inserts promoting a $299 Mini 9 netbook with Ubuntu 8.04, 512MB of memory, a 4GB solid state drive and 8.9 inch LCD. Visit www.dell.com/presidentsale for details, and note the e-value code of 16462-DNPHXC1. The sale apparently ends February 18.
Here’s a look:
Dell Mini 9 At Best Buy
It’s great to see Dell advertising Ubuntu netbooks in newspaper inserts. However, here’s the twist: Best Buy is promoting Dell’s Mini 9 equipped with Windows XP for $299. Here’s a look:
Windows XP: The Better Buy?
Yes, the Mini 9 netbooks are the same price, but Windows XP customers at Best Buy are getting a far better deal than Dell’s online Ubuntu customers. At Best Buy, Dell’s $299 Windows XP netbook comes with a Webcam and microphone plus twice the memory (1GB) and twice the storage (8GB) compared to the Ubuntu system that Dell is selling direct online.
So much for a level playing field between Windows XP and Ubuntu on Dell netbooks.
Additional Netbook Price Breaks
Meanwhile, former PC Week Editor John Dodge, a friend of mine, has been blogging a bit in recent days about netbook pricing and his own experiences with the devices. You can find Dodge’s thoughts here — in a blog called The Dodge Retort.
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I followed the link, and it looks like the Ubuntu variety is listed at $199 (regularly $249-$50) while the Windows XP version is $299.
I priced the Ubuntu version $284 for double the RAM, memory and with webcam.
Still, doesn’t help with public relations.
Ya, it’s just a mistake. I think we need to give Dell a break; it seems people in the community are trying to find any opportunity to attack them. I think they have more than met us halfway; I am happily typing on the laptop I bought from them preinstalled with ubuntu.
Jack: I think Dell has done a ton for Ubuntu, and I give them credit frequently. But we also need to remember that companies aren’t “all good” or “all bad.” Dell’s Ubuntu moves, while worthwhile, haven’t been perfect.
Its a bit of a ‘coincidence’ that they just happen to get the price on the linux deal wrong. Funny though, I’ve never seen the Windows XP prices wrong.
Frankly, Microsoft is playing really hard.
It is irrelevant what a M$ Windows XP system might cost. I would simply install Ubuntu over it anyway.
I am very conservative by nature, and tend to be a very loyal customer – also by that same nature. M$ worked diligently, day and night, for a long time to lose me as a customer. They succeeded. Going back would be … distasteful.
I am happy as a lark running Ubuntu, and M$ could not pay me any reasonable amount to switch back today.
Regardless, more important than a few bucks saved in up-front costs, is the recurring cost of using the system day after day, month after month, for the life of the purchase.
That is where Linux needs to demonstrate it beats M$ if it wants a growing share of the desktop, laptop or netbook market. If it saves me time and irritation, then it saves me money. The cost of my time far outweighs the cost of any up-front expenditure made in the initial purchase.
-Ron
Give us break! You’re not comparing the same distribution channels. Compare both at Best Buy or both from Dell, not a mixed distortion like this.
Last year a Dell Vostro with XP was cheaper than the Ubuntu version. So obviously I bought the XP version and loaded Ubuntu over the top. Both Dell’s were on their website.
@Ridgeland
Moot point. Everyone uses the RRP. Unless, of course, they have ‘incentive’ to sell it lower.
Dells pricing of Ubuntu systems in general has been a constant source of irritation for Linux users shopping at Dells on-line sites. The prices seem to go up and down like a yo-yo.
It seems like anytime Dell think we’re not looking, they bump the prices up a notch. As soon as people complain, they roll out the excuse “it was an oversight” and drop the price to below that of XP based systems.
Right now Dell are a company that I feel are taking consumers to be mugs. Their sales strategists are stuck in the 80s. They still think customers have no knowledge and understanding of technology.
We all already know Microsoft subsidizes the cost of Windows systems with their “marketing dollars”. There is no level playing field and there never was and never will be until Microsoft are taken out of the equation.
XP HOME pffff . Is that even considered an operating system anymore? Come on.. Maybe we should price it with M.E. too.
Reality bites again.
While I give Dell credit for offering computers preinstalled with Ubuntu in the first place, it’s a fact that prices for Linux computers depend a bit too much on vigilant eyes blogging about them.
However the saddest thing is that Dell no longer offers any Laptops but only Netbooks preinstalled with Ubuntu. Better than nothing but still sad.
Regarding Dell no longer offering Ubuntu Laptops:
It seems that they have been added again.
Last week I’ve been searching Dell’s US and some European sites for Ubuntu laptops and I only got the Inspiron 9 and 12 to chose from.
I wonder why they have been removed in the first place. Whatever, it’s good to have them back. I desperately need a new one.
I know this doesn’t help the PR side of things, but M$ has the money to create the perception that more systems are being purchased with windows. If I were in the market, I’d buy the less expensive (read more value) one and if it had M$ on it and replace the OS with Ubuntu. Then go to all the blog sites and let everyone know it also. Eventually word will get out that users want value, not perceived value.
aikiwolfie wrote: “Right now Dell are a company that I feel are taking consumers to be mugs. Their sales strategists are stuck in the 80s. They still think customers have no knowledge and understanding of technology.”
That could be what experience has shown them. As someone who has worked in tech support recently, I can verify that there is no shortage of the clueless.
This is all shenanigans done by all OEMs. HP does it in similar ways. They all are taking advantage of the uninformed customers and they truly believe in the saying “There is a sucker born every minute”. The current economic situation will hopefully wake up the consumers.
Hi,
can anyone let me know if windows xp home edition includes MS Office ?
provided office is not included, people will have to spent more bucks on it.
Hey guys! come on! How come you DON’T know that Windows & Office are FOR FREE… I mean that people DON’T PAY (directly) for them.
You either have it for free on your new machine or just go to Emule and download it (and MSOffice) for exactly $0.
M$ probably knows that piracy is on their side, but maybe not as much as it really is. Come to Spain, for instance, and try to find a single Windows user who payed directly for their Windows OS, even when it is NOT the one that came with the machine, or ask if they use OpenOffice… they will say “what for? I just got MSOffice for free at ‘EmuleMart’”.
And Linux is still lagging behind in some aspects. For instance, a few years ago I bought a Dell Dimension E521, with some ATI graphics card… it came with Windows or Windows, so I installed Ubuntu on it (later). Then I had to buy an NVidia card to replace the ATI because I wanted to use the cool Compiz stuff. So in the end the Dell+Ubuntu increased my costs. A really sad story.
Hang on a minute. “Linux” is lagging behind because ATI can’t produce a decent set of drivers? Nvidia drivers seem to work just fine. I don’t think it’s “Linux” that’s lagging behind. ATI perhaps. But not “Linux”.
Coincidentally ATI have been struggling for quite some time. However I hear their drivers are much better now.
Windows isn’t free even when it’s pre-installed and heavily discounted. There are always hidden costs. The Windows license and all the support and testing OEMs need to provide can actually add up to most of the cost of a PC.
Nothing is free. Not even Linux.
@josvazg
As aikiwolfie said, the problem you’re describing is ATI’s problem, not Linux’s.
Of couse it WAS a ATI problem, but the user experience (specially A Windoze user) is “with Windows I didn’t need an NVIdia card, but with Linux…”. I heard the ATI drivers are getting better… unfortunately the damage is already done for me.
What about the X.org & Intel because of GEM regressions?
I AM very angry with this issue. I was able to run GoogleEarth flawlessly in Xandros on my eee901. But I didn’t like Xandros (too Windowsy closed system for me), so I installed ubuntu and had to give up using GoogleEarth because some guys didn’t follow the simple rule when building new infrastructures:
“Don’t rewrite the old driver, instead write the new one beside and force migration ONLY when the new driver really OUTPERFORMS the old one”
AND this is a linux kernel, intel AND x.org issue.
Dell is so weird…is it me or do specs and prices seem to morph at will? Makes you wonder what kind of deal you are really getting.
Jason: In Dell’s defense, the specs and prices do morph based on (A) nearly real time supply and (B) nearly real time demand.
Looks like the ubuntu workstations are gone from dell?
I was going to buy one today and I guess I’ll go somewhere else. Maybe sytem76 or pogolinux will have what I need.