Acer is going to be pushing Linux “aggressively” on its laptop offerings. Earlier this week at Computex, they announced the 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One which apparently is the beginning of an effort to sell laptops with Linux (although the Aspire One fits more into the netbook category). They are doing so for financial reasons, given that licensing fees become a larger part of the price when it comes to lower-cost devices such as the Aspire One (which will start at $379 USD).
Vnunet is reporting on comments made by a couple of executives from Acer in regards to Linux versus Microsoft Windows on laptops:
Acer sees two killer apps with Linux on computers: operation and cost. Its flavour of Linux will boot in 15 seconds compared to minutes for Windows, and the open source operating system can extend battery life from five to seven hours.
At the same time, the company expects that the price differential of Linux will make the offering attractive for consumers at the low-cost end of the market.