Note the “was.” Dell is now offering the XPS 13 with Linux. There’s an Ubuntu-based developer edition of the machine as part of its Project Sputnik initiative.
Disappointingly, the prices are nearly the same. Base configuration starts from $949 and goes all the way up to $1849 depending on the specs you want.
Apparently, Dell has been working on this for a while now. As a matter of fact, they started working on it from January. But they didn’t release it till now because it wasn’t perfect. There were some “issues with the touchpad and a repeating keystroke that took longer to address than [Dell]… would have liked,” according to a blog post.
Having fixed that, the laptop is now ready for Linux fans. So if you were holding off for a brilliant Ubuntu laptop, this is the one for you.
This is exactly what Ubuntu needs right now: support from major computer makers. I’ve tried out Ubuntu a couple of times in the past, and I’ve been disappointed every single time. Hardware support was a major issue every single time. The XPS 13 is a great proposition for those who want to try out Linux without all the kinks.