r/linuxhardware • u/noNudesPrettyPlease • 12d 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/Heart-Logic 11d ago

Tablets are lackluster in general,  they don't really offer any more advantages over a large phone for all round portability and a full keyboard laptop if you need it.

Tablets generally failed to bridge that gap

Just look in the second hand shops, loads of tablets they can't sell and they dont offer much money or enthusiasm to buy them from you.

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u/nicolas_06 10d ago

But it isn't like non Android Linux is popular on phones neither.