Tablets in focus: Apple iPad Air vs Nokia Lumia 2520

Strange as it may sound, both Apple and Nokia chose the same date to announce their new tablets. One a thinner, slimmer version of a device that laid the foundation of this very segment, and the other, the first foray of a mobile phone giant into the most happening space in mobile devices.

For these very reasons, it is hard to pit the two devices against each other. Plus, one is on Apple's tried and tested iOS 7 while the other is on the relatively new Windows RT.

On paper, this is how the two devices fare against each other.

Incidentally, they are both priced the same in the US and are likely to have similar pricing here as well. To hazard a guess, it could be around Rs 30,000 to start with.

Apple has a cult following for the iPad and will continue to enjoy the success with the iPad Air. There will be lots of people who will walk into a store and buy the new device without batting an eyelid or even trying out the tablet. That is the sort of confidence Apple buyers have in their product.

They also have access to an app store with a million apps, 4,50,000 of which are designed just for the iPad.

For Nokia, the story will be very different. It will have to start from scratch, banking largely on the goodwill it has in countries like India.

To its credit, the Windows Phone 8 operating system is almost completely sustained by its Lumia devices. The OS is already No. 3 in most markets and will stay there for a few years. This means there is going to be a decent market for larger devices on the Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT operating systems. Nokia will no doubt have the best hardware for any Windows tablet.

The real opportunity for the Finnish handset company would to make the most affordable Windows tablet. That might not be the Lumia 2520, but a smaller tablet with a cheaper price tag.

But Microsoft will need to fill its app store with more engaging products to make the Lumia tablet a compelling purchase. If the Lumia 2520 is successful, it could also mean the end of Surface, Microsoft's own tablet.