MeeGo tablets to hit shelves in Q2 of 2011

Tablets running the MeeGo operating system will launch in the second quarter of 2011, according to sources close to Intel .

The company have made no noises regarding which products will be running the OS, only hinting that MeeGo tablets will appear in Q2.

Both Acer and Asus have previously expressed their interest in MeeGo and are expected to be named amongst the manufacturers of MeeGo tablets when the announcement is finally made.

The MeeGo operating system was born from a merger between Intel’s Moblin and Meamo, a Finnish mobile phone manufacturer and subsidiary of Nokia. The OS was then developed as a joint venture between Nokia and Intel for use with next-gen tablets, smartphones and netbooks.

Intel are also planning to launch their own app store to coincide with the release of MeeGo tablets, a necessary move if MeeGo is to compete with RIM and Apple.

MeeGo is Linux based and designed to run on Intel’s Atom platform. Intel are pinning their hopes on MeeGo as they attempt to make up lost ground on competitors, ARM, who now dominate the tablet market thanks to support from market-leaders, Apple.

Apple’s iOs is about to face a stiff challenge from Google’s Android operating system when Honeycomb launches in the next quarter; by time MeeGo hits its developers will be hoping to blow the market wide open.

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