I'm still researching but Lenovo informs me they've got a sale on right now http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x260/ I recommend the X260 as good value with decent specs. The carbon is attractive but expensive.
Please check your pricing yourself, I can't guarantee what I've said below as I'm in a rush. My basic aim was an i5 machine and if laptop 13" or under, but looking for really fast SSD. The Dell XPS13 is a great contender as a laptop that will run Ubuntu with a Skylake i5 or i7 processor. I'd prefer the Dell XPS13 to the X260. The Dell XPS13 DE is a great option and great value considering the build quality. If you're prepared to go up to AU$2,000 including shipping there are nice options with the i5 or i7 and up to 16GB RAM and a plain M.2 or even PCiE SSD, however, it's hard to confirm PCiE SSDs read write speeds. The System76 Lemur is looking great from that perspective. You can't get an i5 but you can go i7, 16GB RAM, and it has a fast SSD, so few complaints on the specs, although in comparison to the Dell XPS13 build quality it won't be able to beat the robust solid aluminium body. I prefer the i5 because it has the same power consumption (quiet / cool) as the i3. The i7 goes up a step in power consumption and presumably heat and noise. Looking at Meerkat and Intel NUC compact desktops you can get more for your dollar if you're prepared to leave the laptop configuration behind. Here in AU you can't beat an Intel NUC https://www.pccasegear.com/products/34899/intel-nuc6i5syh-core-i5-nuc-barebone-kit The Meerkat costs more, especially considering shipping, and you don't really get the best specs as the SSD is basic, whereas if you shop for an Intel NUC in AU you can choose a rocket ship SSD and memory for a tad over AU$1,000. If you want a 6i7 in the NUC it looks like you have to get one with a skull on it, sorry about that. New XPS 13 Developer Edition http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/xps-13-9350-laptop-ubuntu/pd?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&fl=p http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/555/campaigns/xps-linux-laptop?c=us&l=en&s=biz http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/xps-13-9350-laptop.html Order Code: cax13ubuntus2104 Ubuntu Linux 14.04 SP1 6 Gen Intel Core i5-6200U 8GB LPDDR3 1866MHz (16GB not avail on i5) 256GB PCIe Solid State Drive Intel® HD Graphics 520 13.3" FHD AG (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge display CNC machined aluminum, Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 56wHR, 4-Cell Battery not replaceable by customer. 0.6" x 11.98" x 7.88" / 15mm x 304mm x 200mm / 2.7lbs (1.2 kg) US$1,100 AU$1,482 Dell Reseller 1800 812 393 159-175 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150 System76 Lemur 14" laptop lemu6 https://system76.com/laptops/lemur Ubuntu 16.04 LTS i3-6100U or i7-6500U 16GB DDR3 1600MHz 14.1" 1920x1080 IPS Intel HD Graphics 520 1× M.2 SSD, 1× 2.5" 7mm height drive. Up to 2.5 TB total. 256GB M.2 SSD NVMe read 2150 MB/s write 1200 MB/s 13.39" × 9.53" × 0.87" (34.01 × 24.21 × 2.21 cm) 3.6 lbs. (1.6 kg.) US$1,023 US$1,223 with i7 AU$1,372 AU$1,640 with i7 Linux on Lenovo https://support.lenovo.com/au/en/documents/pd031426 Lenovo Thinkpad X260 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x260/ Intel Core i5-6300U Processor (3MB Cache, up to 3.00GHz) 16GB DDR4-2133MHz SODIMM Intel HD Graphics 520 12.5 FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) 256 GB Solid State Drive, SATA3 OPAL2.0 520MBs read 260MBs write 12.03" x 8.21" x 0.8" / 305.5 x 208.5 x 20.3mm 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) US$1,326 AU$1,780 Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon-4/ Intel Core i7-6600U Processor 16GB LPDDR3 SDRAM 1866 MB 14.0 FHD(1920x1080) IPS 512 GB Solid State Drive PCIe-NVMe 13.11" x 9.01" x 0.65" / 333 x 229 x 16.45 / 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) US$1,844 AU$2,470 -- ubuntu-au mailing list ubuntu-au@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-au
