In light of our shipping-from-inventory fulfillment model having recently begun and in order to answer questions we have been getting related to pre-loaded versions of Qubes OS, we would like to announce that we will be fulfilling Qubes-related pending orders made until now by offering the Qubes install as a complimentary USB key included at no additional charge in those shipments.
The current “free Qubes installer USB key” offer will also remain valid for orders placed between today (July 4th) and August 2nd, 2017, at which point our agreement with Qubes shall no longer be in effect. After this date, we may, at our discretion and as a convenience option for customers, offer a USB key accessory containing either a customer-requested free operating system (subject to availability), or a blank USB key, for a minor fee covering the cost of materials and labor.
Some customers have asked us about the recent removal of the Librem 13 “v1” from the certified hardware page on Qubes website. While we were not notified in advance of this change to the contents of the Qubes website, we understand this de-listing to be due to the fact that the Librem 13 v1 is no longer being manufactured, as it has now been succeeded by the Librem 13 version 2 in 2017. The “version 2” has not been sent through the certification process.
Moreover, while our current and previous hardware has been found to work with Qubes OS, we currently no longer have plans to undergo the official certification process for the Librem 13 v2 nor Librem 15 v3. The costs involved, requiring a supplementary technical consulting contract with Qubes/ITL (as per their new Commercial Hardware Goals proposal document), are not financially justifiable for us.
We have no doubts that Qubes users will be able to independently report their successes with Qubes OS on the Librem laptops within the next few weeks.
We wish Qubes and Invisible Things Lab s.c. the best of luck in establishing commercial partnerships that match their new expectations.