Call me crazy, but I would expect a more potent Linux presence in the tablet market. Aside from Ubuntu (and Android), we don’t get to see other Linux distributions fighting for this market. Why that’s the case is beyond me. It’s not like touch-based input only matters for tablets — many of today’s laptops also support the capability, making some things easier to use, and some others – well, more confusion for “traditional Windows users.” Still, “touch” is a big trend and I were personally hoping to see the Red Hats of the world being more engaged in the industry.
The good thing about Linux is that it’s resource friendly, working better than other platforms on a lower-end hardware. I don’t necessarily want a Linux-based Ultrabook (though something like that already exists), but something like Microsoft’s Surface – tablet with a keyboard cover that lets me do some serious computing while on the go. Cloud-based web apps are great but for many tasks I still need software that doesn’t run inside a browser.
Of course such tablet with a cover shell would cost less than what Microsoft is charging for its product, and it could also use a slightly worse hardware while not compromising on performance.
As I used to say in some of my other rants, I can’t be the only one looking to try (and perhaps even buy) something like this. There’s money to be made in devices that make us more productive while on the run. Would you consider a Linux-powered Surface-like device if it was selling for some $400? What do you say?