It would probably be a good business decision. Their costs for offering a Linux version would be very low if they choose their hardware well. The cost would be just testing and sending an additional image to a manufacturer.

They would get instant recognition and instant free press. Marketing is one of the highest costs for companies like these. For example, I am willing to bet that the article we are discussing now cost Vizio good money (probably paid through a PR firm).

But if they offer the only premium laptop with Linux on it, they would get free coverage in all Linux media and most tech media.

So yes, there is a good business case for it. The big wild card about the business case is Microsoft. Microsoft, will probably make their lives really hard if they do offer Linux. This would probably be anti-competitive behavior with doubtful legality but would likely happen nevertheless. But other than potential Microsoft meddling, I think there is a good business case for it.

Did you even read the article?

"Vizio is one of the best-kept secrets in consumer technology. The tiny Southern California company consistently sells the most HDTVs in America, but it's a sure bet that you know virtually nothing about it. Hell, most people don't even know Vizio is an American company, even though all but three of its 417 employees work in the US. That's sort of what happens when you run virtually no advertising outside of sponsoring a few major events like the Rose Bowl, hold no press conferences outside of CES, and build the foundation of your empire by selling low-cost TVs at Walmart. Yet Vizio's customers keep coming back, and bringing others: a combination of low prices, increasing quality, and solid customer support is pretty hard to resist."

Vizio sells their products in walmart for good prices and relies on word of mouth. How many average walmart shoppers even know what linux is? It might get them some free press but it's probably not the press they need. Personally I'd love to be able to get the thing $100 cheaper without the windows license, but what about the time they have to spend testing and developing drivers/etc will that even out the cost? What about the extra support they'll have to provide for Joe Walmartshopper trying to install word on his brand new machine he just dropped $800 on? What kind of press will it generate when they tell him, that no he can't use outlook? As much as I'd love to see linux on these things it's not a good business decision. Company's like dell massive resources with a huge product like so they can have a linux offering, but for a company like this it just doesn't make sense.

Yes, I read the article. What is your point? Sponsoring the Rose Bowl is very expensive so they definitely have an advertising budget.

Also, these laptops, as opposed to the TVs, are not the low cost option. So they will have to have another strategy for selling them. For premium laptops that will definitely involve advertising.