With the universally positive critical reception of Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 smartphones, it always seemed like it was just a matter of time before they’d turn the same design expertise to a tablet. We’ve heard rumours of them working on a tablet for years now, but after each one circulated Nokia would make a statement that they wouldn’t be releasing a tablet in the near future.
It looks like that cycle’s set to continue. The latest rumour is that Nokia was working on a Windows 8 tablet to be revealed at the biggest mobile and tablet event of the year, the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona next month. The tablet was said to run Windows RT, include cellular data and have a 10.1″ display, according to “sources familiar with Nokia’s plans.” Furthermore, the sim-free Nokia tablet was said to have both USB and HDMI ports as well as an optional keyboard dock with an integrated battery, similar to that of the Asus Transformer Prime.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop may have just dashed those hopes once more, however. Speaking to the Financial Times, Elop make the following statement:
“We haven’t announced tablets at this point, but it is something we are clearly looking at very closely. We are studying very closely the market right now as Microsoft has introduced the Surface tablet, so we are trying to learn from that and understand what the right way to participate would be and at what point in time.”
So, pretty much the same – Nokia is considering a tablet, but won’t actually release one unless the marketplace is ready. They’re using Microsoft’s own Surface RT and Surface Pro as a measuring stick, and right now Microsoft’s tepid sales haven’t pushed them to make a tablet of their own.
However, there might be another possibility – an Android tablet. He stated that Nokia would “consider any option” although the opportunity for a unified experience would lead them to prefer a Windows model. Still, with Android tablets showing much stronger sales than Windows tablets, it might be a route that Nokia travels down.
What do you think – would you rather have a Nokia tablet running Android or Windows? Let us know in the comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Facebook Page.
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