Google Plans Its Own Tablet, Nokia Does Not

Google is said to be planning an own-branded tablet in its Nexus range, to go head-to-head with the iPad and also clip Amazon's wings. But Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has denied reports of an imminent tablet launch from his firm, and said there were "no exact plans" for a slate running Windows 8.

Focal Points:

• Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea that the search giant planned to sell a tablet "in the next six months" that would take the Nexus brand and would be "of the highest quality". There were no further details but this was seen as a stab against the perception that most Android slates have been inferior copies of the iPad.
• It can also be taken as a declaration of war against Amazon's Kindle Fire, which stands out on the basis of its low price and simple design rather than trying to ape the iPad's sophistication. Amazon, which deliberately excludes the Google app store and user experience in favor of its own versions, has stolen the initiative in Android tablets overnight. While Google will be pleased at the boost to its OS, it would clearly prefer the leading slate to generate revenue for its own services rather than those of a rival which seeks to recast Android in its own image.
• The mooted Nexus tablet, like Google's own-branded smartphones, would doubtless be a showcase for the latest technologies, such as Ice Cream Sandwich, appealing to developers more than mass-market consumers. The latest Android release reunites the tablet and smartphone versions and is already seen on the Galaxy Nexus handset, made by Samsung and recently launched at Verizon.


• Meanwhile, Nokia has no firm plans to join the tablet race, adding to the impression that it is lagging behind the Android crowd in key markets, held back by Microsoft's ambivalence towards slates. The software giant has prevented WP7 being run on large-screen devices, waiting instead for Windows 8, which will come in an ARM-based touch version - but not until the second quarter of next year, by many accounts.


This ties Nokia's hands in slates, and Elop said in an interview on Finnish TV: "Nokia does not have an exact plan, but we are studying the markets carefully. Perhaps we will come [to market] one day." This contradicts recent comments by Nokia's French chief, Paul Amsellem, that the firm planned to have a Windows 8 tablet ready to launch by June 2012.