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Nokia is the most important Microsoft partner when it comes to Windows Phone. In fact, it is so important that it previously hinted that it might extend the partnership to cover Tblet PCs as well.The launch of the WindowsPhone 8 is a good sign Nokia will soon start launching WP-based tablets, as this OS version has everything required to produce a high-end tablet.
Nokia is reportedly to unveil its first Windows 8 based tablet in June this year. The Finnish mobile maker’s Frence head Paul Amsellem has revealed to the French NewspapersLes Échos that the company would unveil its first Windows 8 tablet mid next year. No more details about the potential Nokia tablet are available. No other sources including the mobile maker’s CEO Stephen Elop have exposed anything about the tablet’s arrival.
The Windows 8 tablet would also come in three models (16GB, 32GB, and 64GB) and feature an 8-megapixel camera, a rear-facing 2-megapixel camera, 512MB RAM, a 1.4GHz processor, and Wi-Fi/3G connectivity, though we think it could certainly benefit from a faster processor and 4G connectivity.
“(Lumia 800) is just the equivalent of the BMW 5 Series. We will soon have a full range with a Series 7 and Series 3,” said Amsellem in an interview with French newspa
If the analogy holds true, this would make Lumia 710, Nokia’s mid-range device, the equivalent of BMW’s Series 3, while the high-end slot in Nokia’s Windows Phone portfolio yet needs to be filled by an upcoming phone.
On the tablet front, Amsellem said Nokia plans to have a tablet running Windows 8 by June 2012. This is interesting since Windows 8 itself doesn’t have a fixed release date yet – all we know is that it’s due to be released sometime in 2012.
While visiting Finnish television program A-Plus, Stephen Elop CEO of Nokia was asked about the possibility of a Nokia tablet. Elop emphasized that Nokia would not be joining the tablet market if they could not differentiate themselves from other tablet makers.
“There are now over 200 different tablets on the marketplace and only one of them is doing really well………I don’t want to be the 201st tablet on the market that you can’t tell from all of the others, we have to take a uniquely Nokia perspective” -Stephen Elop
On the subject of whether a Nokia tablet would be running Windows Phone OS, Elop said that they are definitely weighing their options and are trying to figure out what is the best tablet strategy for Nokia
For the time being, Nokia has only Windows Phone devices available on shelves, and might not launch a tablet PC for a while. However, they did suggest that such a device was not out of the question, and we might see a tablet PC that resembles the “Coffee Tab” launched in the not too distant future. Keep an eye on this space for more on the matter.
While Windows 8, with its Phone 7-inspired touch interface looks promising, I have to wonder if Nokia`s rumored Slate tablet plans would be an Xbox 360-style success or a Kin-sized disaster. There are several pitfalls that could trap the company. If the purported tablet has 3G or 4G connectivity, will Microsoft and its carrier partners offer expensive pricing, as happened with the Kin? Will Microsoft stick with its tablet over the long term or will the Microsoft-branded device be discontinued as soon as it appears, another Kin specialty.