Linux Laptop

In a world of PCs dominated by Windows and Macs, Dell's line of "Project Sputnik" laptops with Ubuntu Linux have secured a cult following.

The latest Project Sputnik laptop is the XPS 13 Developer Edition, which shipped last week. With its sleek design, the XPS 13 brings a new, sexy look to otherwise dull Linux laptop designs.

The XPS 13 DE is also significant because it brings new technologies from the Mac OS and Windows to Linux laptops. The XPS 13 DE models have 4K screens, Intel Skylake chips and the Thunderbolt 3 interconnect, which are new to Linux laptops.

The Linux laptop is a cousin of the XPS 13 with Windows 10, which was announced earlier this year. The Linux version has Ubuntu 14.04, but it couldn't be launched at the same time because the Linux drivers weren't ready. Support for Skylake chips in Ubuntu was announced on Feb. 18, which also held back the laptop's release.