Canonical's first Ubuntu tablet, BQ Aquaris M10, running Ubuntu OS version 15.04, is available for pre-order starting at $291, ships early April
The world's first Ubuntu tablet opens preorders, converging PCs and mobile devices — Canonical's first convergence device is here with the ability …
Context & Ripple Effects
BQ has been Canonical's hardware partner since the start of the Ubuntu mobile push: the flash-sold repurposed Android handset became the Aquaris E4.5, the first commercially available Ubuntu phone, landing in Europe at €170 last April. Hands-on reviews of that OS on BQ and Meizu hardware found it still not consumer-ready, which made February's Aquaris M10 announcement — a tablet with Convergence, acting like a PC when docked to keyboard, mouse and display — the next test of the platform.
Today's news converts that announcement into commerce: preorders open at $291 with early-April shipping, beating the Q2 sale window set when the M10 was unveiled. It is Canonical's first convergence device actually reaching buyers, not just demos.
First-order effects
- Early adopters can now buy the first Ubuntu tablet outright at $291, and BQ gets its first read on whether Convergence demand extends beyond the small audience that bought its Ubuntu phones.
- Canonical finally has a shipping convergence device in market ahead of its stated Q2 window, moving the pitch from stage demos to retail reality.
Second-order effects
- If reviews echo the verdict handed down on the Ubuntu Phone — years in development yet judged not consumer-ready — BQ faces pressure on whether to keep committing mid-range hardware to Ubuntu, since its repurposed-Android device strategy only works if the OS sells the difference.
- A $291 price puts the M10 against budget Android tablets and entry 2-in-1s, forcing Ubuntu to compete on the docking-as-PC feature alone rather than specs or app breadth.
Third-order effects
- The M10 is effectively the referendum on single-OS convergence: if one Ubuntu image across tablet and desktop cannot clear the consumer-readiness bar the phones failed, Canonical's mobile-convergence bet narrows to enthusiasts, while if it lands, partner-built affordable hardware becomes the template for bringing desktop Linux into portable form factors.
The trend: Mobile Linux is betting that one converged OS across phone, tablet and desktop can reach consumers through low-cost partner hardware like BQ's rather than flagship devices.