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Technology Stocks : Nokia Corp. (NOK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rich evans who wrote (6990)	3/12/2012 10:14:13 AM
From: Eric L	2 Recommendations Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9255

Nokia WoA Tablet Speculation ... >> Nokia Likely to Launch Windows 8 tablet PCs in 4Q12, say sources Monica Chen, Taipei; Steve Shen DigiTimes 12 March 2012] digitimes.com Nokia will team up with Microsoft to venture into the tablet PC market by releasing a 10-inch Windows 8-based tablet PC set on Qualcomm's dual-core platform in the fourth quarter of 2012 at the earliest, according to sources at upstream component suppliers. 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, the sources revealed. Nokia's joining of the WoA (Windows on ARM) camp is expected to give Microsoft additional strength to compete with Google's Android platform as well as Apple's iOS, the sources noted. However, other sources noted that Nokia's venture into the tablet PC market will also further intensify competition among non-iPad tablet PC vendors. ### >> Nokia to launch Windows 8 tablet later this year, says report Lance Whitney C\|Net March 12, 2012 news.cnet.com Nokia could hit the Windows 8 tablet market later this year with its own 10-inch device. Citing "sources at upstream component suppliers," DigiTimes says that Nokia will likely debut a dual-core Windows 8 tablet in this year's fourth quarter at the earliest. Microsoft hasn't yet revealed a launch date for Windows 8. But the new OS is expected to appear before year's end, either just before or early in the fourth quarter, according to most predictions. Nokia will outsource the manufacturing of its Windows 8 tablet to Taiwan-based Compal Electronics with initial orders totaling at least 200,000 units, the sources said. This isn't the first sign that the Finnish mobile phone maker plans to enter the Windows 8 tablet market. A Nokia executive said last November that the company is looking to add a Windows 8 tablet to its product line this coming June. Nokia officials refused to confirm or deny the information at the time. The company had nothing to add in response to CNET's request for comment today. But given Nokia's partnership with Microsoft and its slowly growing fleet of Windows Phone Lumia handsets, a Nokia Windows 8 tablet would be a natural evolution. Other tablet vendors have revealed plans to jump on the Windows 8 bandwagon. Dell CEO Michael Dell told Bloomberg last week that the company aims to unveil a business-based tablet on the same day that Windows 8 debuts. HP is reportedly working on its own Windows 8 tablets for both Intel and ARM-based devices, sources recently told CNET. Debate has already arisen as to whether Windows 8 could give Android a run for its money in the tablet market. Android tablets en masse have captured some of the market share once owned by the iPad. And certain tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire, have seen healthy demand. But no individual tablet has managed to rival the iPad in sales or popularity. Many believe the flood of Android tablets has created confusion among consumers, leading to the industry's failure to produce any one single "iPad killer." That same vulnerability could open the door for Windows 8 tablets to succeed where Android tablets have failed. Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps has even advised tablet vendors such as Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung, and HTC to switch their focus from Android toward Windows 8. ### >> Nokia’s tablet plan: A 10-inch Windows 8 ARM slate by year end Devindra Hardawar March 12, 2012 VentureBeat venturebeat.com We’ve been expecting Nokia to announce some sort of Windows 8 tablet soon, and it looks like the company may be gearing up to announce just that. Nokia is apparently working on a 10-inch Windows 8 tablet running an ARM-based processor for release by the end of the year, according to a report by Digitimes, a Taiwanese news site with admittedly flimsy rumors at times. In this case though, I don’t find Digitimes’ report too hard to believe. Nokia has gone all-in with Windows Phone 7, and its CEO Stephen Elop has often mentioned the opportunity tablets provide. Microsoft is betting its entire tablet strategy on Windows 8 — both through full-fledged Windows 8 PCs in tablet form and more lean Windows on ARM (WoA) devices, which won’t run legacy Windows apps. It makes total sense for Nokia to be one of the leading Windows 8 tablet makers. Not only has the company consistently shown its manufacturing expertise (look at the gorgeous Lumia phones), it’s also in the rare position to build a WoA tablet with fresh eyes. Nokia hasn’t wasted its time building Android tablets (though it did pioneer early tablets with devices like the N800), and it’s not coming at slates from the perspective of a traditional computer maker like Dell. (We’ll forget the Booklet 3G ever existed.) According to Digitimes, the Nokia Windows 8 tablet will run a Qualcomm dual-core CPU — most likely the company’s Snapdragon S4. Nokia is said to be outsourcing production of the tablet to Compal, and it’s aiming for initial shipments of around 200,000 units. ### Fascinating deepening of Nokia’s relationship with Microsoft, which to date has focused specifically on Windows Phone 7 based smartphones; and a nice example of how Microsoft’s decision to offer an ARM-based version of Windows will play out in the tablet market. - Eric Savitz, Forbes - - Eric -