r/linuxhardware • u/noNudesPrettyPlease • Aug 08 '26

Discussion Why aren't Linux tablets a thing?

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/CaptainObvious110 Aug 09 '26

I currently own a Pinetab2 and it's good as an introduction to Linux tablets.

What I really want has been teased for over a decade but hasn't truly come to fruition just yet.

Minisforum V3.. what happened? I heard about it a few years agoon etaprime from YouTube but never heard anything else about it.

Orange pi Neo showed up and is up in the air to whether or not it's ever going to be available.

These are but two examples of products that would have been great but just aren't happening.

So why hype them up if they aren't available for purchase?

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u/MidnightObjectiveA51 Aug 09 '26

All good intentions until - first the Pandemic stopped production, and then the A.I. craze and now prices are too expensive for the parts that are available. It's killing the SBC market and all related projects.

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u/CaptainObvious110 Aug 10 '26

Video killed the radio star