I talked to Jared Domínguez at Dell and he told me, he'd communicate the issue internally to the project to improve the website. He said, that the project group keeps track of the laptops sold under the "Developer Edition" badge and that a laptop bought through chat or telephone support wouldn't count and it would distort the statistics despite the fact these laptops are identical with the "Developer Edition" models except for the US International keyboard layout. Which is why they want to make sure actual Linux developers get the "Developer Edition" model, not just the XPS-13 with Ubuntu.
Also, currently ordering the laptop with a US International keyboard sets you back an additional 140 Euros compared to the regular "Developer Edition" (1129 Euros as compared to 989 Euros) which is why I was hoping the US International keyboard option would be officially added to the "Developer Edition" at no additional cost.
Are there no chances of this happening? I'm asking because my Dell representative already sent me an offer for the XPS-13 with US International keyboard layout. However, as it's currently priced at 1129 Euros, I am still holding off a few days in the hope this problem might resolve.
Edit: I just noticed the "Developer Edition" comes with Pro-Support while the regular Customer Edition you can order on the phone has "just" premium support, yet the "Developer Edition" is cheaper. Interesting.
He said, that the project group keeps track of the laptops sold under the "Developer Edition" badge and that a laptop bought through chat or telephone support wouldn't count and it would distort the statistics despite the fact these laptops are identical with the "Developer Edition" models except for the US International keyboard layout. Which is why they want to make sure actual Linux developers get the "Developer Edition" model, not just the XPS-13 with Ubuntu.
Hi Adrian,
Actually, I said that based on what you were told by the sales person you spoke with, that I was concerned about what they were telling you and wanted to make sure that those offline sales didn't result in any issue with tracking D.E. sales.
We are still investigating internally how to better offer the US International keyboard, but if it happens, it'll take some time.
Another update: Someone on reddit found out that apparently the Developer Edition has actually a different hardware configuration and has not just an Ubuntu sticker on it:
The Developer Edition comes with an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 while the regular consumer edition comes with a Broadcom chip which requires additional proprietary firmware.
Thus, if I want to get this laptop with a US keyboard layout in Germany, I will pay more, don't get Pro-Support and a wireless adapter which is inferior to the one built into the Developer Edition.
Dang, I really hope this gets resolved soon. It's quite a dealbreaker, honestly. I'm a Debian Developer and I can't get the proper Developer Edition I need :(.
Ok, apparently there were some changes in the webshop now. I can actually change the keyboard to US/International now and the price and the support level remains the same. However, once I click "Add to shopping cart", I get an error message that the configuration is not compatible.
I'll contact my sales representative now and ask him to write another offer. Or I'll wait until this last issue is resolved on the website.
Does it actually have the Ubuntu sticker on the bottom side? And is the right Alt key labelled "Alt Gr" or "Alt"? I assume it's the former as it is an international US layout.
Oh, and I ordered my XPS-13 now as well. I wonder how long I have to wait. How long did you wait?
I've contacted the dell.de chat and even got someone to talk to. But as soon as I mentioned "Swiss Store", the discussion ended quite quickly.
After various negative results when contacting Dell in the past, I've called them again. I've been forwarded to a local dealer who - unsurprisingly - cannot do anything if the Dell store is not working. Afterall it's not their store.. other contacts didn't work since, well.. I didn't have an order number etc.
For me that means: if I cannot order it properly on the Dell website, I cannot order at all.
After observing the web site for a few days, I finally noticed that all of a sudden I could finally choose a keyboard layout for the XPS 13 Developer Edition (up to that point I couldn't select any keyboard...). Of course, you can guess what happened, when I chose the US keyboard.... I was greeted by the funny compatibility error again that I well knew from the standard (aka Windows) version of the XPS 13. (The selection - MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage ist incompatible with Tastatur". Very helpful.
But as a developer, I took the challenge and enabled the bloody order button via the Chrome developer tools and continued through the order process. What I noticed though is the fact that even if it's a developer edition, the wifi card ist still the bloody DW 1560. The order details mention "Driver for Dell Wireless 1560". I'd rather have a different WiFi card, but oh well... at least there's enough people who got this card up and running under Linux, so I should be able to do that as well.
In the end, the order got thru and I also got a confirmation mail for a XPS 13 Developer Edition with US keyboard. Finally! I'll keep you updated what type of keyboard they will actually send me... I don't know what to do if it's the wrong one. :P
I attempted to order an M3800 developer edition with a US layout keyboard from the French store and the chat representative was unable to complete the order. It is possible to configure the laptop with a US keyboard if you select a model that comes pre-installed with Windows but not with Ubuntu, she suggested that I just do that and install Ubuntu on it. Finding a way to purchase this laptop has thus far been a Sisyphean task.
Since I couldn't see my order in my order list, I contacted Dell via online chat. They told me that they can see my order but for some reason it's not being processed.
I was then being called by someone from France and he told me that my order could not be processed because... *drumbeat* the keyboard is not compatible with MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage. At that point I had to laugh really hard....
He then gave me the option to either switch to a Swiss keyboard layout (which I refused) or change the article "[346-BBN] MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage" to "[340-ANHU] Palmrest". Woo! :)
I still don't see my order but will wait 2 days before I'm going to call again.
It's incredible how hard Dell makes it for us to order what we want. One can only wonder how this company actually makes money... At the same time, this thread comforts me a lil since I see I'm not the only one struggling... :)
* machine was delivered today * it has a US keyboard! Yay! * Ubuntu sticker at the bottom right * bloody Windows key is there (so no Linux key) * both Alt keys are labeled "Alt" (so no Alt-Gr key) * installed BIOS was A03 * had to use external mouse/keyboard during Ubuntu install because BIOS A03 had key/mouse-click repetitions * Ubuntu installer crashed (I assume because I wanted to store a backup on external USB stick) * BIOS offers a simple way to upgrade BIOS (BIOS Windows exe file on a FAT-formatted USB stick works) * upgraded BIOS (A04) doesn't have key repetition problems anymore
The machine is really beautiful and will be installed freshly with Arch Linux on the weekend. I wish everyone good luck when ordering an XPS13 with a US keyboard. It's quite a struggle (see my previous posts), but it's well worth it.
Congratz ;) So the US layout is not the international one? Good thing I got an UK one ;)
Mine has been running Archlinux for two weeks now and is in daily productive use, couldn't be happier. Although I get the impression that at least my space bar still sometimes repeats itself unwillingly...
cbmuser
1 Rookie
•
12 Posts
0
May 13th, 2015 01:00
Hi Barton!
I talked to Jared Domínguez at Dell and he told me, he'd communicate the issue internally to the project to improve the website. He said, that the project group keeps track of the laptops sold under the "Developer Edition" badge and that a laptop bought through chat or telephone support wouldn't count and it would distort the statistics despite the fact these laptops are identical with the "Developer Edition" models except for the US International keyboard layout. Which is why they want to make sure actual Linux developers get the "Developer Edition" model, not just the XPS-13 with Ubuntu.
Also, currently ordering the laptop with a US International keyboard sets you back an additional 140 Euros compared to the regular "Developer Edition" (1129 Euros as compared to 989 Euros) which is why I was hoping the US International keyboard option would be officially added to the "Developer Edition" at no additional cost.
Are there no chances of this happening? I'm asking because my Dell representative already sent me an offer for the XPS-13 with US International keyboard layout. However, as it's currently priced at 1129 Euros, I am still holding off a few days in the hope this problem might resolve.
Edit: I just noticed the "Developer Edition" comes with Pro-Support while the regular Customer Edition you can order on the phone has "just" premium support, yet the "Developer Edition" is cheaper. Interesting.
Thanks,
Adrian
DELL-Jared D
2 Intern
•
350 Posts
0
May 13th, 2015 07:00
Hi Adrian,
Actually, I said that based on what you were told by the sales person you spoke with, that I was concerned about what they were telling you and wanted to make sure that those offline sales didn't result in any issue with tracking D.E. sales.
We are still investigating internally how to better offer the US International keyboard, but if it happens, it'll take some time.
cbmuser
1 Rookie
•
12 Posts
0
May 15th, 2015 16:00
Another update: Someone on reddit found out that apparently the Developer Edition has actually a different hardware configuration and has not just an Ubuntu sticker on it:
www.reddit.com/.../has_anyone_ordered_a_dell_xps_13_developer
The Developer Edition comes with an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 while the regular consumer edition comes with a Broadcom chip which requires additional proprietary firmware.
Thus, if I want to get this laptop with a US keyboard layout in Germany, I will pay more, don't get Pro-Support and a wireless adapter which is inferior to the one built into the Developer Edition.
Dang, I really hope this gets resolved soon. It's quite a dealbreaker, honestly. I'm a Debian Developer and I can't get the proper Developer Edition I need :(.
Adrian
cbmuser
1 Rookie
•
12 Posts
0
May 15th, 2015 17:00
Ok, apparently there were some changes in the webshop now. I can actually change the keyboard to US/International now and the price and the support level remains the same. However, once I click "Add to shopping cart", I get an error message that the configuration is not compatible.
I'll contact my sales representative now and ask him to write another offer. Or I'll wait until this last issue is resolved on the website.
Adrian
mkrt
12 Posts
0
May 21st, 2015 05:00
Hi all,
Just to confirm that it's not impossible, I'm glad to announce that yesterday I got my XPS 13 with international US keyboard. In Germany.
Maksim.
DELL-Barton George
7 Technologist
•
537 Posts
1
May 21st, 2015 09:00
@Maksim,
Thanks for posting. US keyboards should be available in all countries via chat or by calling the sales team.
cbmuser
1 Rookie
•
12 Posts
0
May 21st, 2015 11:00
Hi Maksim!
Does it actually have the Ubuntu sticker on the bottom side? And is the right Alt key labelled "Alt Gr" or "Alt"? I assume it's the former as it is an international US layout.
Oh, and I ordered my XPS-13 now as well. I wonder how long I have to wait. How long did you wait?
Adrian
mkrt
12 Posts
0
May 21st, 2015 22:00
hi Adrian,
"Does it actually have the Ubuntu sticker on the bottom side?" - no, I ordered Windows version.
"And is the right Alt key labelled "Alt Gr" or "Alt"?" - It's "Alt".
"How long did you wait?" - From the day I payed it was 14 days in total.
Maksim
_Sargon_
4 Posts
0
June 1st, 2015 09:00
I've contacted the dell.de chat and even got someone to talk to. But as soon as I mentioned "Swiss Store", the discussion ended quite quickly.
After various negative results when contacting Dell in the past, I've called them again. I've been forwarded to a local dealer who - unsurprisingly - cannot do anything if the Dell store is not working. Afterall it's not their store.. other contacts didn't work since, well.. I didn't have an order number etc.
For me that means: if I cannot order it properly on the Dell website, I cannot order at all.
After observing the web site for a few days, I finally noticed that all of a sudden I could finally choose a keyboard layout for the XPS 13 Developer Edition (up to that point I couldn't select any keyboard...). Of course, you can guess what happened, when I chose the US keyboard.... I was greeted by the funny compatibility error again that I well knew from the standard (aka Windows) version of the XPS 13. (The selection - MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage ist incompatible with Tastatur". Very helpful.
But as a developer, I took the challenge and enabled the bloody order button via the Chrome developer tools and continued through the order process. What I noticed though is the fact that even if it's a developer edition, the wifi card ist still the bloody DW 1560. The order details mention "Driver for Dell Wireless 1560". I'd rather have a different WiFi card, but oh well... at least there's enough people who got this card up and running under Linux, so I should be able to do that as well.
In the end, the order got thru and I also got a confirmation mail for a XPS 13 Developer Edition with US keyboard. Finally! I'll keep you updated what type of keyboard they will actually send me... I don't know what to do if it's the wrong one. :P
mmirg
26 Posts
0
June 3rd, 2015 11:00
I attempted to order an M3800 developer edition with a US layout keyboard from the French store and the chat representative was unable to complete the order. It is possible to configure the laptop with a US keyboard if you select a model that comes pre-installed with Windows but not with Ubuntu, she suggested that I just do that and install Ubuntu on it. Finding a way to purchase this laptop has thus far been a Sisyphean task.
_Sargon_
4 Posts
0
June 3rd, 2015 15:00
Since I couldn't see my order in my order list, I contacted Dell via online chat. They told me that they can see my order but for some reason it's not being processed.
I was then being called by someone from France and he told me that my order could not be processed because... *drumbeat* the keyboard is not compatible with MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage. At that point I had to laugh really hard....
He then gave me the option to either switch to a Swiss keyboard layout (which I refused) or change the article "[346-BBN] MUI Etikett fuer Handauflage" to "[340-ANHU] Palmrest". Woo! :)
I still don't see my order but will wait 2 days before I'm going to call again.
It's incredible how hard Dell makes it for us to order what we want. One can only wonder how this company actually makes money... At the same time, this thread comforts me a lil since I see I'm not the only one struggling... :)
dejot
3 Posts
0
June 3rd, 2015 20:00
I was actually able to get the DE edition in Germany with not US/International, but UK/Irish keyboard instead. It's similar enough for me ;)
brianfcoleman
3 Posts
0
June 17th, 2015 17:00
When selecting a US English keyboard layout on a Dell XPS 13 developer edition from the UK store, I get
the following error:
The selection - MUI Palmrest Label is incompatible with Keyboard
_Sargon_
4 Posts
0
June 18th, 2015 14:00
Small update:
* machine was delivered today
* it has a US keyboard! Yay!
* Ubuntu sticker at the bottom right
* bloody Windows key is there (so no Linux key)
* both Alt keys are labeled "Alt" (so no Alt-Gr key)
* installed BIOS was A03
* had to use external mouse/keyboard during Ubuntu install because BIOS A03 had key/mouse-click repetitions
* Ubuntu installer crashed (I assume because I wanted to store a backup on external USB stick)
* BIOS offers a simple way to upgrade BIOS (BIOS Windows exe file on a FAT-formatted USB stick works)
* upgraded BIOS (A04) doesn't have key repetition problems anymore
The machine is really beautiful and will be installed freshly with Arch Linux on the weekend. I wish everyone good luck when ordering an XPS13 with a US keyboard. It's quite a struggle (see my previous posts), but it's well worth it.
dejot
3 Posts
0
June 18th, 2015 15:00
Congratz ;) So the US layout is not the international one? Good thing I got an UK one ;)
Mine has been running Archlinux for two weeks now and is in daily productive use, couldn't be happier. Although I get the impression that at least my space bar still sometimes repeats itself unwillingly...