Dell said it's offering n-Series to meet demand from some business customers. Indeed, large companies often install their own software, a practice that helps them keep a better handle on their PCs. "The overwhelming majority of the systems we ship will go out with a Microsoft OS on them," a company representative said. N-series PCs will cost the same as PCs that ship with Windows, a Dell representative said. Selling PCs, especially low-price models aimed at consumers, without an OS could help save costs for manufacturers. In the past few years, as prices for components have fallen, Windows has become one of the more expensive elements of a PC. While it hasn't created a separate brand, Hewlett-Packard will ship computers bundled with alternatives to Windows through its PC Customisation Services programme for business customers. The company will install alternatives, likely various versions of Linux, for customers purchasing between about 100 and 500 PCs. It will adjust pricing as well, dropping prices if the alternative software is cheaper. But it will not offer PCs without an operating system pre-installed, a representative said. "There's some potential (to catch on), but I'd say it's still early," Loverde said.
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