Dell has been targeting devs with an Ubuntu-powered Ultrabook for about a year now with its XPS 13 Developer Edition.
Recently, the company updated its “Sputnik” dev edition with a speedy new Intel Haswell processor, a full HD touchscreen (13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel) display and a (starting) price tag of $1249.
The base model is equipped with a Core i5-4200U processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.
Scaling up, Dell also offers a $1549 iteration with a Core i7-4500U processor and 256GB of storage. Both models – which can be purchased in the US – are slated to ship in mid-December.
As Liliputing’s Brad Linder notes, while there are certainly cheaper ways to run Ubuntu or Linux out there, developers probably wouldn’t get the same sort of professional support that they receive from Dell.
“You could buy a thin and light laptop that comes preloaded with Linux from System76 or ZaReason,” explained Linder.
“Both companies offer models with starting prices of $1000 or less. But Dell’s Sputnik ultrabooks are smaller, lighter, and carry the name of a major PC maker, if that’s the sort of thing that matters to you.”
