> But if this is custom hardware then somebody must have wanted these cameras on there? I mean, the explanation could be as simple as "it's semi-custom hardwar

> But if this is custom hardware then somebody must have wanted these cameras on there? I mean, the explanation could be as simple as "it's semi-custom hardware with the minimum number of changes from a commercial tablet". In that case, it has a camera for the same reason brown sugar is refined sugar with molasses added back in: it's cheaper to stay on the path of high volume as much as possible. Of course, it could also be a more nefarious explanation. Short of mass surveillance by the government, I can't think of one: it's not like the airlines don't know exactly who is in which seat.