Time for a Nokia tablet?

So is Nokia finally ready to pop the tablet? Well, chatter on the Internet suggests the phone maker from Finland is creating a tablet to run partner Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system. There have been similar rumours in the past, but coming just days after the launch of Apples new iPad, analysts are giving the reports more credit than usual.

The report in Taiwan's tech journal DigiTimes quoted "sources at upstream component suppliers" to suggest a Q4 release for the 10-inch Windows 8-based tablet PC set on Qualcomm's dual-core platform. The reports says: "Nokia is expected to outsource production of the 10-inch tablets to Compal Electronics with the first batch of shipments to top 200,000 units".

Building a tablet is only a natural progression for Nokia. A few years back, there were reports that Nokia was working on a 'booklet' - a netbook sized laptop - with an inbuilt SIM slot. That was just before the first iPad was launched and the craze for netbooks died a quick death. Since Apple has eaten away into Nokia's smartphone numbers with the iPhone, it would also be natural for Nokia to try and take on the former in its own backyard.

The entry of a player as strong as Nokia can also queer the pitch for Android tablet makers, who are already a fragmented lot due to the lack of consistency in the version of the OS used. Nokia will be banking on converting a lot of its captive users in Asia, especially if the tablet is reasonably priced. Then the tech world is hailing the Windows 8 as the answer to iOS, with Microsoft's touch-based OS already making waves in the smartphone segment.