[ubuntu-uk] Microsoft Surface Release, Will there be something similar from Ubuntu?

[Alan Pope]

On 29/06/12 22:26, David King wrote:
> A way to add external storage through a USB socket, so a few USB sockets
> would be good.
>

Interesting. I've never wanted to add a USB device to any tablet I own. 
I think I'd find it unwieldy with cables and such.

> It seems that the Unity interface is designed for tablet use, so maybe
> Canonical does have putting Ubuntu onto tablets as a long-term goal?
>

Mark has articulated an aspiration to be on Tablets, Phones etc in the 
next couple of years. Whether that will actually happen or not, we'll see.

> It would need to be powerful enough and have a large enough screen to be
> usable with existing Linux apps.

I wouldn't want most existing Linux apps on a tablet. For touch 
interfaces most common/popular Linux apps really suck on a tablet.

> There is a KDE-based tablet coming out
> soon, but it looks too limited to be of use, underpowered, and just a
> 800x600 screen (not much better than a smartphone).
>

Guess it depends what you want from a tablet. Reading books, browsing 
the web, watching porn, playing games, watching videos, browsing photos 
are all very common tablet use-cases which I'm sure the Vivaldi tablet 
can do out of the box.

> I guess that such a device would cost quite a bit considering the
> hardware choices.

The latest 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablet is ~200 GBP. Other tablets such as 
this one at 43 GBP are much more affordable. The whole price range is 
covered.

http://uniprice.co/icoo-d50-lite-a13-version-android-40-tablet-pc-7-inch-4gb-camera-white-sku20432-icoo&currency=GBP

> But if it were marketed properly, as a quality device,
> running a quality OS that has the lowest probability of getting viruses,
> and able to run desktop apps, it might be quite successful.

I am not sure about 'desktop apps' but the rest, sure.

> I wonder if
> Mark Shuttleworth would be willing to subsidize the cost so it could
> still be cheaper than an iPad?
>

Unlikely, that's not a sustainable model to have one guy pay for a chunk 
of everyone's tablet. More sustainable would be to get hardware 
manufacturers to make the tablet, and for Ubuntu to be the software they 
use, with support and license fees to fund the development.

Cheers,
-- 
Alan Pope
Engineering Manager

Canonical - Product Strategy
+44 (0) 7973 620 164
alan.pope at canonical.com
http://ubuntu.com/