The ASUS 1015E, launched in mid-April, is among the new crop of affordable Windows 8-powered notebooks. Now ASUS seems to be preparing to make the notebook segment even more affordable for the buyer on a budget and is allegedly set to offer an Ubuntu-powered variant of the notebook for just $215.
ASUS apparently intends to offer a brand new Ubuntu Linux laptop which betters the $249 to $299 price tag of the ASUS 1015E.
According to reports, some online retailers currently have listings for an ASUS notebook model which will sport a price tag of just $215.
"Think the Asus 1015E Windows 8 mini-laptop which sells for around $249 to $299 is cheap? It looks like Asus plans to go even lower. A couple of online stores are now showing listings for a model with Ubuntu Linux which could sell for as little as $215," reports Liliputing.
The new Ubuntu-powered notebook, dubbed ASUS 1015E-DS03, sports a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. Under the hood, the device packs in an Intel Celeron dual-core processor that is clocked at 1.1GHz. The notebook also has 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard disk drive.
Similar to its Windows 8-powered counterpart, this device supports Bluetooth, has two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port, HDMI, Ethernet jack, stereo speakers and a headset jack. The ASUS 1015E-DS03 also touts a six-cell battery, which offers support for 7.5 hours.
Portability-wise, the ASUS 1015E-DS03 weighs about 2.8 lbs and measures 10.3 x 7 x 1.4 inches. Physically, the two ASUS 1015E notebooks are quite identical except for the fact that one runs on Microsoft's Windows 8 OS, whereas the other has Ubuntu Linux.
With Windows 8 devices not doing that well, having a cheaper alternative in Ubuntu Linux could sway things in ASUS' favor. However, not all consumers would be familiar with the Linux OS and, therefore, Windows may be more appealing.
But with competition in the consumer market increasing day by day, ultimately it boils down to consumer preferences and the budget they are on. ASUS' new Ubuntu-powered notebook throws yet another option consumers' way.
