Lindows-Based PCs Make It To A Brick & Mortar Store In Canada

by , 11:00 AM EST, March 12th, 2003

PCs running the Lindows operating system have been available from Wal-Mart's Web site for some time now, but they have never been available in Wal-Mart brick and mortar stores. A chain of Canadian stores called The Brick has decided to take up this slack by selling a CAN$450 eTrek PC pre-loaded with LindowsOS. That's US$305.28 as of this writing.

The computer features a Via C3 processor (roughly equivalent to a mid-range Pentium III), 128MB of RAM and a 30GB hard drive. This is a fairly significant milestone in the development of Linux as a consumer desktop platform. It specifically places Linux in front of consumers side by side with Windows, which is a rarity in the retail world. From Lindows:

"Linux has just knocked down a major barrier to widespread adoption. For the first time ever, Linux is available to customers pre-installed on computers. Without retail distribution Linux cannot reach the masses," said Michael Robertson, chief executive officer of Lindows.com, Inc. "The Brick is a well-established outlet with 70 locations across Canada; they're offering their customers great products at great prices. Customers finally have a choice on store shelves that hasn't been seen for more than 15 years."

The Brick offers a line of robust eTrek PC systems starting for under $450 (Canadian) all of which are pre-installed with LindowsOS 3.0. eTrek standard configurations include VIAs C3 processor, 128 MB SDRAM, 30 GB Hard Drive, 56 Kbps modem, stereo speakers, keyboard and a mouse. The eTrek PC also has e-mail, web browser, mp3 player and instant messaging capability included, as well as access to more than a 1,000 high-quality, intuitive productivity applications such as Sun's StarOffice (www.lindows.com/staroffice). This system is ideal for home users, educational facilities, and the workplace. To view eTrek system specifications visit www.lindows.com/etrek-specs.

Lindows recently made headlines in the Mac world when the company compared its US$799 MobilePC with Apple's 12" PowerBook. The company is also planning to use Apple's 1992 court loss with Microsoft against Big Redmond in an ongoing lawsuit over Microsoft's trademark on the name Windows.

The eTrek PC is available now for CAN$450 from The Brick locations across Canada. For more information, you can visit Lindows' or The Brick's Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Our Interest in Lindows begins with the fact that we consider a successful presence of Linux on the consumer desktop as being very helpful to Apple. Mac OS X stands to make a lot more inroads, especially in the corporate space, when it is the best alternative to Microsoft, instead of the only alternative. That represents a major shift in the conscience of the buying public. Lindows more than any other Linux company, including market leader Redhat, has attempted to tackle that consumer space. Accordingly, the Canadian Experiment will be very interesting to watch.

Lindows