In recent weeks, Dell.com’s U.S. website has not offered Ubuntu Linux desktop PCs. But that situation could change the week of August 2. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.
Our resident blogger stirred up some market confusion on July 22, when he noticed Dell’s Ubuntu site (www.dell.com/ubuntu) only offered laptops and netbooks with Ubuntu installed. Alas, Dell apparently wasn’t offering Ubuntu on desktop PCs anymore.
However, wise readers were quick to note a July 9 ComputerWorld report, in which Dell assured readers new Ubuntu desktops would debut soon.
Tick… tick… tick. Fast forward to the present — it’s been 20 days since the ComputerWorld report — and still no sign of the new Dell Inspiron desktop running Ubuntu.
Finally, some clearer answers from Dell. According to a company spokeswoman:
“I actually went on the record a few weeks ago to say we are in the middle of transitioning from an old desktop model to one of our newer desktops and expect [a desktop] Ubuntu offering to be available in a few weeks. I really expect it to be back on dell.com by next week.”
Based on the email’s time stamp, “next week” means there’s a high probability Dell’s new Ubuntu desktop PC will debut the week of Aug. 2.
The Bigger Picture
Dell’s support of Ubuntu is particularly important to Canonical, which is ramping up a channel partner program amid potential competition from Google Android (for smart phones) and Google Chrome OS (initially for netbooks).
Meanwhile, Ubuntu-centric PC makers like System76 and ZaReason continue to witness strong demand for Ubuntu-driven computers. In particular, System76 President Carl Richell says his company has had trouble keeping up with Starling NetBook and Meerkat NetTop orders.
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Too little too late. I’ve been looking to upgrade my aging desktop running jaunty for some time. I kept checking back at dell.com but got tired of waiting and ordered all new components from newegg the other night to upgrade my existing system. This weekend I will build my new computer and Dell will have lost another sale.
Definitely very poor performance from Dell! What were/are they THINKING!?!
If your favorite coffee shop, gas station, or grocery store slapped you in the face like that…
WOULD YOU STILL PATRONIZE THEM?!?
Dell lost our business years ago, and this sad spectacle proves once again that our decision was correct.
Sincerely,
John and Dagny Galt
Atlas Shrugged, Owner’s Manual For The Universe!(tm)
.
I was personally disappointed to see the Dell mini 9 netbook disappear last week. The desktop I could care less about.
The VAR Guy has mixed emotions. Dell deserves credit for being the first major PC maker to bring Ubuntu to the mainstream. However, the lapse noted above was a bad one. Plus, Ubuntu-centric PC makers like System76 and ZaReason continue to win loyalty within the Ubuntu community… …
Let’s not bury Dell for some missteps, especially since the company could help Canonical move forward. But yes, Dell deserves some criticism for letting their Ubuntu desktops lag/lapse right now…
It may be true. I’ve not been overwhelmed with joy about Dell for a very long time, and this is another contribution.
And it’s still not a commitment. If it doesn’t show up in the first week of August, you can’t call him a liar. He didn’t say when it would show up, or even if it would show up at all.
I see no particular reason to wait around for Dell. If you’re going mail order anyway, there are lots of other choices. Were I buying, I’d pick a dealer who had many Linux systems. ZaReason comes to mind, but only because I’ve recently purchased a system from them that I was happy wil. Not because I think they’re necessarily better than the people I didn’t order from. (I picked them because they were the closest Linux specialist vendor, and a couple of people on-line said good things about them. I didn’t check out everyone.)
I, too, have mixed emotions about Dell. I was thrilled when I saw that they were going to sell Ubuntu systems. However, I don’t like the way you have to dig to find the systems. What good does it do for the customer if they have to know what they are looking for? It should be a link on the laptop page or (hopefully) desktop page. When you click on the laptop page, it should show ALL the laptops available, not just the Microsoft ones. Same with the desktops. To me, this shows that they ’support’ Ubuntu but will not promote it.
[...] Dell: New Ubuntu desktop PC launching soon. There’s a high probability that it will debut the week of August 2nd. [...]
It is now the end of August… a quick look on their website show only two ubuntu machines, the mini 10 (which recently received a bad “open letter”), and inspiron 15… where are the desktops, where are the xps’s. Why dell, why? I’d be happy with “baremetal” PCs from dell
WhereAreTheDells: Ironically, The VAR Guy sent an email to Dell PR with that same observation 24 hours ago. Our resident blogger has requested an update on Dell’s commitment to current Ubuntu systems plus Dell’s strategy related to the October 2009 Ubuntu 9.10 launch… Stay tuned.