Nokia is planning to release a Windows 8 tablet in late 2012, complete with 10-inch screen and dual-core chipset, according to a new report.
Nokia plans on
launching a Windows 8 tablet sometime in the fourth quarter of 2012, according
to unnamed sources speaking to DigiTimes.
The March 12
article suggested that Nokia would outsource the actual tablet production to
Compal Electronics, and that the first shipment would total 200,000 units.
Sources among upstream component suppliers predicted that Nokias venture
into the tablet PC market will also further intensify competition among
non-iPad tablet PC vendors.
The tablet
itself will reportedly feature a 10-inch screen and a Qualcomm dual-core
chipset.
Whether that
report proves accurate, the idea of a Nokia tablet running Windows 8 isnt
exactly far-fetched. The Finnish phone-maker and Microsoft already have a tight
relationship centered on Windows Phone, which replaced Symbian and other
homegrown platforms as the formers primary mobile operating system.
Moreover,
Nokia clearly recognizes the need to expand onto form factors beyond
smartphones. In a form filed March 8 with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the company suggests that adjacent products, such as tablets,
could potentially threaten its attempts to gain market share in smartphones, since
consumers and businesses increasingly bind themselves into multiple-device
ecosystems from a single vendor.
If our
competitors succeed in capturing markets where we are not currently present,
this could erode our competitive position, read one section of the filing.
For instance, we currently do not have tablets or other adjacent products in
our mobile product portfolio, which may result in our inability to compete
effectively in the tablet and developing multi-screen market segments in the
future or forgoing those potential growth opportunities.
Whether the
recognition of that threat translates into a tablet is an open question,
although rumors of such a device have persisted for some
time before the DigiTimes report.
Certainly Nokias engineers have demonstrated a willingness to experiment with
technology. Its recently unveiled PureView smartphone, for example, features a
41-megapixel camera sensor backed by new recording and image technology.
For the
moment, however, Nokia seems focused on establishing itself as the preeminent
purveyor of Windows Phones, having introduced models at the high (the Lumia
900), medium (the Lumia 710) and low (Lumia 610) price points.
Meanwhile,
Microsoft is ramping up Windows 8 for its final release sometime in late 2012.
The upcoming operating system features a start screen of colorful,
touch-friendly tiles linked to applications, the better to operate on tablets.
Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter
Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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