Lots of Ubuntu Linux laptops and desktops in Dell Premier

Dell offers a lot more Ubuntu laptop and desktop options for business customers, than what they offer to regular consumers. But you need to log into Dell Premier to see.

Here is a new development to my lab computer purchasing process. At Dell's Premier website for my university, I just found out that Dell offers a lot of laptops and desktops powered by Ubuntu, FreeDOS or RHEL. I can even customize configurations, e.g., upgrading CPU from Intel i5 (3rd/4th generation) to Intel i7 (3rd/4th generation). One of the option is interesting: Ubuntu 11.10 or 12.04 LTS - yeah, it's only available on older models.

Below is the Linux laptop page for my university (note the account name on top right)

And here is the Linux desktop page for my university (note the account name on top right)

One thing I noticed is that Dell does not offer a lot of 4th generation Intel Core processors in business sections. Same thing for both Windows and Ubuntu laptops and desktops.

I studied a bit on the price difference between computers of the same hardware but different OSes. Business version Windows is so costly, ranging from $100-$200. For a workstation of $1000, you pay around 10% to 20% more for that junky OS. The exception is XPS 13, which is also a consumer product: Windows is only $50.

In the end, I just don't understand why Dell only offers so many Ubuntu options for business (probably even premium business) customers. Why cannot regular consumers get them?