But if you want a good laptop in this price range to install Linux on, why get one of these? There are plenty of Windows OEMs who will sell you a better machine

But if you want a good laptop in this price range to install Linux on, why get one of these? There are plenty of Windows OEMs who will sell you a better machine (modulo the screen), or you can cough up an extra $200 and buy a 13" rMBP, which has a comparable screen and is technically better in every other regard (modulo 4G, although what's the price for the LTE modem?)