Lenovo chops online Linux after poor sales
Beards and sandals to that.
By Sharon Gaudin, Computerworld US | Published: 09:25, 12 September 2008
Lenovo will no longer sell pre-loaded Linux PCs online after experiencing poor sales.
The PC maker said Thursday that it will no longer take online orders for computers pre-loaded with any flavour of Linux. Ray Gorman, a spokesman for the company, said that it will continue offering such machines only through its own or partner direct sales teams.
"Our commitment to Linux has not changed," said Gorman in an email to Computerworld. "What's changed is that customers will no longer be able to order Lenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentres with pre-installed Linux via the lenovo.com website."
Gorman said the most orders for pre-loaded Linux software had come through their sales teams or business partners. Their online sales for pre-installed Linux weren't hitting big enough numbers, he added.
Lenovo has been offering Linux-based machines since 2000.
The company will continue to pre-certify Novell and Red Hat Linux on ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCentre desktops. Lenovo is also adding Ubuntu certification for new ThinkPad and ThinkCentre PCs, according to Gorman.
He also noted that Lenovo is slated to deliver Linux-based servers, and IdeaPad netbook models in September and October respectively.
