To clarify. It isn't that we don't want to ship a tablet.
It does not appear that we would be able to ship one that meets even the minimum of free software standards. We also couldn't ensure the drivers/firmware were eventually available under a free software license.
If we can confirm work on drivers/firmware for all the main chipsets (audio, graphics, wireless, etc) that would be needed to get a tablet out the door then we would participate in a project to get such a tablet out the door. Right now there is a project working on such an endeavour.
The software project we are talking with is still getting off the ground and they don't have all the details. I can only confirm that some drivers have been released and that there may be others that for the time being are not available under a non-free license. Depending on the situation we may ship such a device. What we don't want to do is ship a tablet that lacks a community with free software principles behind it and non-free drivers.
While such commitments appear to satisfy the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, and others in the community it is a deviation of our commitment not to ship such devices. To be clear: we do not ship hardware where the main chipsets are dependent on non-free software. The BIOS and other micro code not included (until such a time where the feasibility of doing so exists at least). This is why we are holding off on making a decision. We don't know which chipsets are involved. If it appears that it is just a matter of time we may be willing to release such a tablet prior to the availability of all the drivers under acceptable licenses. It would only be done after great thought and with a warning to users of the situation and any commitments.
