Nokia to launch iPad challenger in autumn 2010

Paul Nesbitt

Nokia is working on a touchscreen tablet computer – designed to take on Apple's iPad – which is expected to be launched as soon as this autumn, according to tech analyst Ashok Kumar, at Rodman Renshaw.

Kumar based his prediction on his contacts with many of Nokia's tehnology suppliers, and he has a good past record on his Nokia predictions.

Nokia would join a host of manufacturers in the tablet market that has been energised by Apple's iPad launch. HP and Google are two of the larger companies with tablets on the way.

'Nokia hasn't fielded any breakaway products in years,' said Kumar. 'This is a new window, and Nokia had better be at the starting gate if and when the product category takes off.'
Industry insiders believe that Nokia is most likely to partner with Intel and base its tablet around an Atom CPU. The tablet will run MeeGo, a Linux-based mobile OS, which Nokia and Intel are pushing as buing suitable for everything from smartphones to netbooks and connected TVs. On the other hand there are reports that Nokia may run Windows 7 instead.

Nokia's entry into the tablet market would not be the first time the company has branched out beyond its core handset business. Last year Nokia launched its first laptop, the Booklet 3G, which has not been a roaring success.

And before that Nokia launched the N770 Internet Tablet, a small format budget-priced tablet, which was criticised for its slow performance. Launched in the early 2000s, its flaws prevented it from being more than a curiosity.