"How is any of this better for consumer freedom than just Windows 7?" Perhaps not for consumer freedom, but think about it in this way: You're getting a laptop

"How is any of this better for consumer freedom than just Windows 7?" Perhaps not for consumer freedom, but think about it in this way: You're getting a laptop largely subsidized by a corporation which is somewhat more guaranteed to successfully run your own brand of Linux. If you buy a PC with Windows and use only Linux, you are paying a lot for something that isn't even tangentially useful for you.