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No Linux IdeaPad For Lenovo's US Customers

Posted by timothy on from the too-bad-because-I-want-one dept.

narramissic writes "When Lenovo's new IdeaPad 'S' series netbooks hit stores in October, U.S. buyers will only be given one option: Windows XP on the IdeaPad S10 (making it not so much a series as a single offering). Meanwhile, people in most markets Lenovo serves, including Singapore, China and the U.K., will be offered both of the company's new IdeaPad netbooks (the S10, which has 10.2-inch screen, and the S9, which has an 8.9-inch screen), and the choice of either Microsoft Windows XP or a Linux OS. Before you start feeling too sorry for yourself, consider the price tag: the S10 will sell for £319 (US$629) in the U.K., but in the U.S. the starting price is $399." Liliputing (a cool site for anyone interested in sub-notebook computing) has posted a few bits on the IdeaPad, including some short videos.

8 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Re:not linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    this is the distro used in acer low end notebooks, no X, just a black screen. Great for presenting a Windows alternative!.

  2. Re:US Europe price differential .. by xaxa · · Score: 5, Informative

    - we're willing to pay more (i.e. we value stuff more)
    - more regulations (apparently)
    - tax included in the price (17.5% for the UK price)
    - company has to pay recycling charge (WEEE)
    - longer warrenties (by law)

    At least, that's what /. came up with last week :-)

  3. It *is* Linux by Vinegar+Joe · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Linpus distro has been around for more than 10 years. I ran it when I was in Taiwan. You can get the install dvd or live cd here: ftp://ftp.linpus.com/dists/LL96/iso/

    --
    "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
    1. Re:It *is* Linux by Artichoke · · Score: 2, Informative

      For all I know it could be an excellent distro with a pedigree as long as your arm but it still has a terrible, terrible name.

      Pus: sticky creamy bodily fluid that oozes from sores and spots.

      --
      __
      Arse
  4. Re:So I guess it was a good idea... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Lenovo != IBM

  5. Re:Black market by frieko · · Score: 2, Informative

    I've never had to hunt down a driver for my Thinkpad. Everything "Just Works" in Ubuntu.

  6. Re:XP by MoonBuggy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually it's half and half between the greedy company and the greedy government in this case. UK VAT is 17.5%, so taking the figure of $629 means the tax will be $110, leaving a base price of $519. That's still $120 extra for Lenovo, as well as $110 for the government.

  7. Re:XP by 1u3hr · · Score: 3, Informative
    People in countries with higher wages pay more for products. Who would've thought? Maybe that price comparison should factor in the two countries' average incomes. In other news, rice costs more here than in India. They must think we're stupid.

    Yes, you may be rich, but you are stupid. (And the dipshits that modded you up even more so.) Many hi-tech goods are much cheaper in the US than in most third-world countries. It's about markets, competition, trade barriers, monopolies. Businesses don't calculate what would be a "fair" price related to wages, they just charge what the market will bear.