Toshiba also considering pre-installed Linux

Toshiba is also contemplating installing Linux on its systems, Toshiba Italy computer division manager Luigi Cattaneo has revealed. The executive told the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore that the only way to compete against Acer and HP, which together own more than half the Italian market, was to sell notebooks below 500 Euros ($680) -- necessitating Linux, which is nearly free to use compared to Windows.

"The corporation is seriously discussing this, and we're carefully evaluating the option," a translation of Cattaneo's comments reads. "We don't want the door to close in our face if a business upgrades [to Linux] and we can't do it."

As with Dell's move to Linux, the update would reportedly include home systems as well as pro models. All of Toshiba's notebook-only line would receive the option, including the Qosmio, Portégé, Satellite, and Tecra. The particular distribution of Linux that might be used hasn't been revealed and could be different than the Ubuntu variant chosen by Dell this week.

Toshiba's US branch has yet to comment on Cattaneo's statements. [via DesktopLinux]