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Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

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Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#21
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it is sort of, but not terrible for 99$ device with a keyboard. https://youtu.be/l53h_uQ41Ao?t=274

The last time I looked it was $99 for the tablet, plus $20 if you wanted to add the keyboard. Has that changed?

No, it is 99$ for the tablet and 20$ for the keyboard.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#22

I suppose we can expect it to perform as well as a $99 tablet?

It has an old and slow A64 processor and 2GB of RAM, but a respectable 64GB of storage. The screen is 1280x800 and it comes with a pretty hefty 6AH battery. Plus it comes with a detachable keyboard and touchpad. So overall you're getting a lot of bang for your buck compared to any other tablet.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#24

Anybody here remember the HP Touchpad firesale where HP liquidated their stock of cancelled not-quite-iPad-competitors for $99.99 and people went nuts for them? It's weird how that felt like a great deal and yet this one is expensive enough to make me question if I could get anything close to that much value out of it. The HP firesale was back in the days where a decent tablet cost around $500 and it was a screaming…

It was definitely a high end tablet at the time.

Maybe it also reflected less of a worry about losing software support at that time. If Apple told us that the iPad was now discontinued and you could get an iPad Pro for $99, I wonder how many people would jump on it. If the software is dead the device is a brick. That concept wasn’t really on people’s minds as much in the PC days.

In retrospect it’s unbelievable that HP had the lack of foresight to abandon webOS and Palm devices. Maybe there’s a lot of business reasons why it would have never worked but I remember Palm and HP TouchPad devices being very popular in the early consumer smartphone days, and the software was competitive. If it wasn’t good we wouldn’t see it all over smart TVs today.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#26

I wonder why they price their products so cheap. They seem to be totally overrun by demand. And give a terrible user experience when you try to order from them. Friends of mine have ordered (and paid!) Pine64 products weeks ago and get no information when they will be shipped. When you send them an email, it either gets ignored or you get a reply by someone who does not speak English. Telling you something like "Yes…

This isnt really a finished product that they are comfortable selling to the general population. I actually feel like they are doing a pretty good job of setting customers expectations. From the order page for the pine tab I see these disclaimers:

    The PineTab comes with UBports OS build installed. Please note that the OS build is still in a beta stage, and while most core functionality works, some elements remain a work-in-progress.

    Small numbers (1-3) of stuck or dead pixels are a characteristic of LCD screens. These are normal and should not be considered a defect.

    When fulfilling the purchase, please bear in mind that we are offering the PineTab at this price as a community service to PINE64 communities. If you think that a minor dissatisfaction, such as a dead pixel, will prompt you to file a PayPal dispute then please do not purchase the PineTab. Thank you.
To me that means, this is not a "product" in the traditional sense. They're just trying to accommodate hackers by providing more fully fleshed out development kits in hopes that they can make a more fully fledged product in the future.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#27

I hate this “race to the bottom” behavior that a lot of Linux OEMs are doing. We need a flagship Linux product, not cheap throwaway products that will tarnish its reputation. This is Android all over again.

You get flagship Linux products by iterating reasonably quickly on "cheap throwaway" ones. ISTM that Pine is following a viable strategy here.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#28

Anybody here remember the HP Touchpad firesale where HP liquidated their stock of cancelled not-quite-iPad-competitors for $99.99 and people went nuts for them? It's weird how that felt like a great deal and yet this one is expensive enough to make me question if I could get anything close to that much value out of it. The HP firesale was back in the days where a decent tablet cost around $500 and it was a screaming…

> I've seen Amazon's Fire tablets sell for $39 brand new.

Agreed -- there's a big subsidy from Amazon there. But LCD screens and much of the same parts as computers+phones have had big economic forces driving the prices down.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#29

I wonder why they price their products so cheap. They seem to be totally overrun by demand. And give a terrible user experience when you try to order from them. Friends of mine have ordered (and paid!) Pine64 products weeks ago and get no information when they will be shipped. When you send them an email, it either gets ignored or you get a reply by someone who does not speak English. Telling you something like "Yes…

This isnt really a finished product that they are comfortable selling to the general population. I actually feel like they are doing a pretty good job of setting customers expectations. From the order page for the pine tab I see these disclaimers: The PineTab comes with UBports OS build installed. Please note that the OS build is still in a beta stage, and while most core functionality works, some elements remain a w…

Their honesty is so refreshing. Wish more companies were like this.

Re: Pine64 launches the cheapest Linux Tablet ever priced at just $99.99

#30
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only have one Pine device, a Pinebook. The build quality seems good to me, it isn't just a collection of components thrown together.

Mind if I ask what you use it for? I’m always tempted to buy one but I don’t really know what I would do with it besides stick it in my drawer of cool but not particularly useful tech that gathers dust. At least it’s cheaper than my Google Glass and GoPro...

I use it for ARM64 software development, have a USB ethernet dongle and an external disk enclosure containing a small SSD.

Have used it as my only laptop a few times too but I mostly work from home.

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