Nokia shy on tablets by says Windows 8 a boost

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop during an interview in the wake of Nokia World left the door open for a Windows 8 tablet. While he wouldn't comment on Nokia's own strategy, he told the Finacial Times Microsoft's desktop OS an "interesting opportunity," even indirectly. Because both Windows 8 and the new Lumia phones shared the basic tile-based interface, any success from Windows 8 tablets could draw attention to Windows Phone.

"When you see the user experience from the Nokia Lumia environment appearing on hundreds of millions of tablets and PCs in the future, you can see that there is a clear synergy between those environments," Elop said.

The Finnish company isn't a stranger to tablets and for a time was one of the few putting a mobile OS on a tablet through its Maemo-based N700 and N800 models. It has stayed entirely outside of competition in the iPad era, however, and the only clues of plans have been two design patents that may not lead to shipping hardware. Elop has resisted pressure to automatically jump in and said his company wouldn't get involved unless it could be unique.

A move to Windows 8 for a tablet would carry risks for Nokia, especially as it won't be unique and will have to compete with models from HP, Dell, and others that have historically followed whatever direction Microsoft set. Nokia's last attempt at a Windows PC was the ill-fated Booklet 3G, which while built well couldn't compete against netbooks with identical features but cheaper parts that let them cost much less.

By Electronista Staff

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