40% of Dell PCs Sold in China are Ubuntu-Powered
After Windows XP reached its ‘End of Life’, many in the Chinese market have had to adjust. And fortunately for Dell – a company that ships some of its PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed – the market adjustment and want for an alternative operating system is heading in their direction positvely. Ubuntu Kylin happens to be officially supported by the Chinese authorities, and that support carries a lot of weight for Dell in getting their PCs out there.
Dell is one of the, if not the first, Western brand to make personal computers running pre-installed with Ubuntu Kylin, which is based on the open-source Linux OS.
According to the report from South China Morning Post, over 40% of all Dell computers sold in China are now powered by Ubuntu Kylin. “The move comes as Dell has begun partnering with Chinese firms to expand into sectors seen as crucial to national security”, says the SCMP.
According to Ubuntu:
Ubuntu Kylin is an official flavour of Ubuntu. It is a free PC operating system created for China and complies with the Chinese Government procurement regulations. It includes all the features you’ve come to expect from Ubuntu, alongside essential Chinese software and apps. The interface has been designed specifically to put Chinese users first — and with new support for touch screens and HiDPI monitors, it runs beautifully on all kinds of hardware. – ubuntu.com/desktop/ubuntu-kylin
According to StatCounter
Although the market share of Windows operating system in China is over 90% more than any other OS, Dell is investing in China heavily, calling the strategy “In China, for China”. Dell has also formed partnership with the Chinese cloud computing firm Kingsoft and other big organizations within China, for the furtherance of this strategy.
Bright Future
However, 40% of all Dell PCs sold in China running Ubuntu at the moment is great news. Hopefully, with the percentage gradually increasing, and sustained for more years to come, Windows might gradually decline in numbers, leaving more room for Ubuntu or any alternative Linux Operating System. Embracing Open Source operating systems might mean cutting budget cost for organizations relying on Windows at the moment.
What do you think of the successes Dell is chalking with their Ubuntu-powered PCs? Will Ubuntu OS penetration in China last?
Source: Ubuntu.com
