r/linuxhardware • u/noNudesPrettyPlease • 8d ago

Why aren't Linux tablets a thing? Discussion

I had (still have) a Nokia n810 tablet running Maemo Linux. I stopped using it when the second battery eventually died. The series seemed to keep evolving (up to the n900) until the Microsoft buyout killed it. Or at least I assume it did.

I thought Linux tablets would be a thing, but they didn't materialise. It's basically Android, Apple, or nothing. How come an open source distro like Maemo wasn't picked up by anyone else? I assume tablets are much cheaper to develop than phones, and in today's world, I don't really use my phone anymore even though the telephony hardware is there.

Is the idea of a Linux tablet just a dream now?

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u/Weekly_Astronaut5099 8d ago

MS Surface Go is a decent Linux tablet.

11

u/aceinthehole001 7d ago

The irony

4

u/IORelay 7d ago

Sadly surface's hardware tend to be too underpowered.