When it chose to align itself with Microsoft and the Windows Phone platform, Nokia underwent a stunning transformation. Could that alignment also lead Nokia into the tablet space? And, if so, would it expand the Lumia line by offering Windows 8 tablets, or would it try another route?
First, the main question is whether or not Nokia would enter the tablet world at all. It's a pretty crowded and competitive market right now, after all, but the Finnish company says it is at least interested.
"We're very interested in tablets and that's an area we're looking at," Jo Harlow, executive vice president of smart devices for Nokia, said to CNET.
However interested Nokia is, though, Harlow wouldn't commit to actually revealing any specifics. Would the Lumia brand be extended into a potential tablet? Would Nokia consider an operating system outside of Windows 8 for it?
"I don't have any product news I can share," Harlow said.
While that's unfortunate, it's probably not surprising. Nokia currently has its hands full trying to make gains in the mobile phone market, a sector it used to dominate. Over the years, however, the company has lost ground to the iPhone, the Galaxy S4, and a host of other smartphones. The big bet on Windows Phone was supposed to revive the company, but despite churning out quality hardware, it has yet to see the success it would like.
If that's the case, why would Nokia try to wedge itself into the tablet space when it's barely made a dent in the smartphone world? The tablet market is already hyper-competitive, and the Android one specifically is saturated with devices, so Nokia would probably have to continue with Windows 8 in order to differentiate itself. Even then, it's hard to make an impression with Microsoft and the Surface brand sucking up all the oxygen in the room.
So while Nokia is "very interested" in tablets, it doesn't quite make sense to jump into the water just yet, especially with investors already upset about the company's dedication to Microsoft. At the same time, the longer it stays out, the more difficult it becomes to eventually get in. It's an unfortunate situation for Nokia, so it'll be interesting to see how the company responds going forward.
