Looks like Apple isn’t the only company looking steal some of the thunder from Windows 7’s debut. IBM announced this morning that it’s working with Ubuntu Linux vendor Canonical to expand to the U.S. a package of Linux-based desktop software and online services that was launched in Africa this year.

For businesses, IBM is pitching the “IBM Client for Smart Work” as a less-costly alternative to a Windows 7 upgrade, particularly for companies that skipped Windows Vista and would be making the upgrade from Windows XP. IBM cites market research estimating the cost of migrating to Windows 7 as high as $2,000 per user, if new hardware is required as part of the shift.

IBM says its package will let many companies continue using their existing hardware, and it promises that hundreds of its partners will be offering the IBM Client for Smart Work in the United States in 2010.

“If a company is a ‘Windows shop,’ at some point it will need to evaluate the significant costs of migrating its base to Microsoft’s next desktop,” said Bob Picciano, general manager for IBM Lotus, in a news release. “American businesses have asked for a compelling alternative and today we are delivering IBM Client for Smart Work in the U.S. Our goal is to help organizations free up desktop expenses to use in more strategic collaboration and business transformation projects.”

From the news release, here’s part of the lineup IBM is offering. The company says pricing will vary depending on configuration.

Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations from IBM Lotus Symphony, which is a free-of-charge download on the Web;

Email from IBM Lotus Notes or the cloud-based LotusLive iNotes launched earlier this month, which starts at $3 per user, per month;

Cloud-based, social networking and collaboration tools from LotusLive.com, ranging from $10 per user, per month;

and Canonical Ubuntu, a community-developed Linux distribution for netbooks, laptops, desktops, and servers.

Apple executive Phil Schiller similarly said last week that the company was hoping to get people to shift to Macs rather than new Windows 7 PCs, particularly given the complications involved in upgrading from Windows XP. Microsoft launches Windows 7 to the general public on Oct. 22.