Dell's Ubuntu Ultrabook lands in UK

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:50

Dell is bringing its Ubuntu Ultrabook to the UK, after updating its display to 1080p.

Dell created the XPS 13 with Ubuntu last year, as part of an effort to target developers. It's identical to the XPS 13, but the Developer Edition runs Ubuntu 12.04 instead of Windows.

After the launch last year, Barton George, Dell's director of marketing for the web vertical and the leader of Project Sputnik that created the Ultrabook, said there were two main complaints: first, that the resolution was too low and second, that it needed availability outside the US and Canada.

"Since that time we have been working hard to address both," said George in a blog post. "As of today, the XPS 13 Developer Edition comes with a Full HD display (1,920 x 1,080) and has begun rolling out in Europe."

That's an improvement on the original 1,366 x 768 resolution, but otherwise the XPS 13 Developer Edition's specs have remained the same.

The Ubuntu Ultrabook should be available online from Dell this week, with availability extending across most of Europe and the Middle East.

In the UK, the updated XPS 13 with Windows 8 will cost £1,079, but pricing for the Ubuntu version isn't yet available.

The US price at launch was $1,549 - more than the Windows version - but was quickly reduced to $1,449, $50 less than with Microsoft's OS. The upgraded display on the Developer Edition has pushed the price back up to $1,549, and bumped up the Windows 8 XPS 13 to $1,599.