Linux Laptops Expand Into SMB Market
Notably, software vendor Lindows.com, San Diego, announced earlier this month that its LindowsOS Laptop Edition would be bundled by Taiwanese system builder Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) into 300,000 of its laptops for the U.S. retail market.
But some system builders say Linux has made little incursion into the SMB market. "We have not had a single call requesting Linux from our SMB customers," said Rick Marks, director of corporate sales and marketing at Interactive Computer Systems, a Brick, N.J.-based system builder.
Because of his company's commitment to Microsoft, Marks said he's not willing to make a new investment in Linux. "Linux requires a whole new skill set," he said. "We would have to hire new engineers, and I'm not sure we want to make that investment."
Marks also said that he doesn't anticipate much demand for Linux among his education and small-business customers. He does, however, build systems for other solution providers who are installing Linux on networks with upwards of 1,000 nodes. "Those guys are old Unix guys, so it was an easy transition for them to go to Linux," he said.
Meanwhile, Lindows.com executives are hoping that the ECS systems will help it gain a toehold in the retail space. The laptops come with built-in Wi-Fi capability and have a list price of $699.
ECS' commitment to Linux and the aggressive pricing for the laptops prompted Lindows.com CEO Michael Robertson to declare in a statement that "2004 will be the year of the Linux laptop."
The ECS's model A535 laptop is built around an AMD 4 1400++processor and comes with 128 Mbytes of on-board RAM that can be upgraded to 640 Mbytes of DDR RAM. The systems weigh 6 pounds and have a 2.5-inch hard drive that offers up to 80 Gbytes of storage.
Wilson Lan, general manager of ECS' mobile PC business unit, said loading Linux on laptops fits in the company's commitment to offer economical products.
Lindows.com struck a similar deal late last year with ProSource PC. The Minneapolis-based system builder, which counts some 15,000 VARs, solution providers and systems integrators among its customers, said it would offer five desktops and three notebooks bundled with LindowsOS.