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Nokia: We won’t have a tablet unless it can compete with iPad

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Nokia tablets not coming anytime soon
Nokia tablets not coming anytime soon

I’m live here at the Uplinq conference and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop just got off stage and basically re-iterated what he’s been saying about why Nokia chose Windows Phone over Android. While we’ve heard this before, he did dedicate a segment to the tablet market and essentially said that we shouldn’t expect a Nokia tablet until it can compete with the Apple iPad.

Elop said that there are probably 201 tablets coming to the market soon but only one of those is actually selling in droves, attracting developers and exciting consumers. While the Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook and others are interesting devices, these are clearly not doing as well as the Apple iPad. A Nokia tablet won’t come out if it’s just number 202, Elop said.

He did talk about how Microsoft just introduced Windows 8 with a strong touch-based interface that’s obviously optimized for tablets but he didn’t go as far as committing to it. A Nokia tablet has to be able to stand out from the crowd, as well as generate revenues for the company, he simply said.

Apple, Research In Motion, LG, Samsung, Motorola and nearly every other major mobile device maker has its tablet strategy in place so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for a Nokia tablet to hit the market. I expect the company to embrace Windows 8 for its tablets and it should be a featured hardware partner once Windows 8 is on the market. This will likely stoke the rumors that Microsoft will buy Nokia.

Are you excited about a Nokia tablet with Windows 8? Say what you will about the Finnish company but it still knows how to do some stellar industrial design. I need more time with Microsoft’s new operating system to really judge it but it seems powerful and user friendly. Of course, by the time a Nokia tablet lands it might be facing an iPad 3 or 4, so it may be some stiff competition.

About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.

  • http://www.rimarkable.com RIMarkable Robb

    The problem with that logic is that by the time this happens, assuming Nokia is actually still a company, each of those 200 tablets that actually makes it will have such a lead on Nokia that they simply won’t have a chance to compete…  You know, kind of like how things are for the the company now on the smartphone front.

    Elop needs to realize that the game being played in the tablet world isn’t for the top spot, but, for number two.  Nobody is going to touch Apple anytime soon, but, that doesn’t mean you don’t play the game. 

  • Anonymous

    Fair point. But I also think it’s fair to say that there isn’t really a tablet market yet, there’s just an iPad market. Waiting a year might not be disastrous but I agree that it needs to get the ball rolling soon. 

  • MVZ

    Marin/Robb, fair point on your opinions a tablet market will not properly developed until one or more companies developed a competing technology to apple’s hardware, software and price points. The only unreleased tablet that could have a chance is HP provided they price their hardware correct, let’s hope!  

  • Anonymous

    Can’t wait to get my hands on the TouchPad. I sincerely hope it’s priced right. 

  • wiZtab

    windows 8 sounds good, if the top dog tag for windows 7 is any indication. Your initial “powerful & user friendly” affair proves windows has got what it takes. Just hope their stamina & focus don’t get rushed by new superpower android
     

  • http://profiles.google.com/blendertom Yousuf Ali

    I don’t know where your head is… Nokia’s patnership with Microsoft goes only as far as WP7, Windows 8 could possibly on Nokia’s tablet but unlikely, MeeGo is more likely.
    And as far as the rumour goes it’s that Microsoft is buying Nokia’s Mobile division, and that too has been declined very decisively by the CEO.