Dell Inc, the world's second-biggest maker of personal computers, will sell models equipped with Linux software in China this year, offering a cheaper alternative to Microsoft Corp's Windows in the second-largest PC market.
The company will begin selling computers running Linux software from Novell Inc, Theresa Shen, a Beijing-based spokeswoman for Dell, said by telephone yesterday. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell hasn't set a specific date, she said.
Linux may help chief executive officer Michael Dell cut prices and costs as he seeks to regain the top spot in the global computer market from Hewlett-Packard Co. Dell joins Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo Group Ltd (
Dell has said it began sales of Linux-based computers in the US in May, after receiving "overwhelming" requests through a Web site set up in February for customer suggestions. The company began selling a desktop and a laptop model in Europe this month using Canonical Ltd's Ubuntu Linux software, Shen said.
Dell hasn't decided how many models in China will be installed with Linux, Shen said. She declined to comment on pricing.
Hewlett-Packard, which has led Dell in the PC market for four consecutive quarters, already installs Linux on some of its PCs in China and Latin America. China's Lenovo, the third-largest PC maker, will begin selling Linux laptops in the fourth quarter.
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