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August 14, 2007

Rip-off Britain hits new Linux PCs

Price hike for open-source Dell systems

Tom Jowitt , Techworld

Rip-off Britain – in which consumers pay over the odds for IT goods including Windows Vista compared to our counterparts in the US and Europe – also applies to Linux systems, it seems.

Last week's LinuxWorld event saw a number of open-source desktop announcements, including Dell announcing it was selling its first Linux-based PCs outside the US, with the Ubuntu-based Inspiron 530n desktop, and the Inspiron 6400n notebook now available in the UK, France and Germany.

The Dell Inspiron 530(n) desktop comes with an Intel Dual Core E2140 (1.6GHz) processor, plus 512MB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 19in panel. When the Inspiron 530 desktop is used as the benchmark machine, it seems that UK users are paying more for a Linux-based machine compared to European users.

The UK Inspiron 530n desktop (running Ubuntu) costs £398.99, including VAT.

But the same entry-level Ubuntu Inspiron 530n in Germany is 7.3 percent cheaper (than the UK) at only €548.99 (£371.76). Meanwhile, in France the entry-level Inspiron 530n is 11.4 percent cheaper at just £358.21, and the French machines come with more RAM (512MB) on its Nvidia GeForce 8300GS graphics card, compared to the 124MB that's standard on UK and German machines.

But it is when this same machine is compared to the US that the price difference is the most startling, with the US Ubuntu Inspiron 530n - some 34.5 percent cheaper.

In the UK, a similarly specced to the U.K. version Ubuntu Inspiron 530n costs $599, which translates to just £296.67, making the machine over £100 (and 34.5 percent) less expensive than the U.K. equivalent.

In the US, the Ubuntu Inspiron 530n with a similar spec to the UK version costs $599, which translates to just £296.67, making the machine over £100 (and 34.5 percent) less expensive than the UK equivalent.

Dell could not provide a spokesman for interview with PC Advisor's sister title Techworld, but the PC maker did state that "costs vary from region to region for a variety of factors such as local promotions and local taxes etc." Yet it is worth noting that VAT levels are higher in France and Germany, than that of the UK.

Dell is not the only PC maker to ship PCs running an open-source operating system. Rival Lenovo has said it will start shipping Thinkpads pre-loaded with Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (SLES10) in the fourth quarter of this year. HP has yet to commit to installing Linux on consumer boxes.

Meanwhile, Dell has also announced that it also intends to factory-install Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Desktops on its hardware in China, although no further details have yet been provided.

See also:

Save money and beat rip-off Britain

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Comments received

LastChip said on Tuesday, 14 August 2007

It's a shame. Here is a great opportunity to not only let the world see the benefits of Linux, but also provide computers that are very competitive in price.

Sadly, profit comes before all else and the "golden goose" may well be slaughtered before it sees any life at all.

When are these manufacturers going to learn, the British people are not fools, and this level of profiteering does nothing to enhance their reputation.

TechGuru said on Tuesday, 14 August 2007

It's about time Distro's were produced so that it was simple to install Linux to a PC.
Most Linux distro's are complicated to install and get functioning properly, ie. Internet via broadband connections and wi fi networks, device drivers, etc.
The distro's should have all the drivers (or a site to get them), in a form that we can install.
Perhaps a batch file to do the job invisibly, with the options listed, if required.
Most of the options/extra's, in a strange format that requires an experienced Linux user to install, making it difficult for the novice user to comprehend.
So Linux people, if you want uptake of the OS, make it simpler to install, and make sure all the drivers are in one place, and in a format that's quick and easy to install!

PenguinFan said on Wednesday, 15 August 2007

@TechGuru
Most of your points make good sense in a general "distro" context but they are not pertinent to TFA, which is about machines with Linux pre-installed .

Law said on Thursday, 16 August 2007

TechGuru - you obviously haven't tried installing the latest Ubuntu... it's unbelievably simple, takes next to no experience - and also has a proprietry-driver installer and a decent network manager. The only complicated bit is if you want some nice Beryl type eye-candy, because xgl isn't default - so it's not just a simple case install Beryl like in latest Suse.

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