Nokia is firmly a member of Team Microsoft. The Finnish telecommunication previously dumped most of its internal software OS development and in favor Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 system. But Nokia is seemingly jumping on another Microsoft platform bandwagon: Windows 8.
Paul Amsellem, Nokia’s French general manager, recently sat down with French Newspaper Les Echos. The interview of course covered the firm’s recently-announced Windows Phone 7 handsets but Amsellem also brought up the Windows 8 Tablet. “In June 2012, we will have a tablet that runs on Windows 8,” he said. That echos Nokia CEO Stephen Elop recent statements that the company sees a new opportunity in an upcoming tablet.
The user experience of Windows 8 is essentially a supercharged version of the Nokia Lumia experience that you saw on stage today. And you see the parallels and opportunity for commonality from a user perspective. You say wow, this is more than just smartphones, there’s a broader opportunity here. And clearly we see that broader opportunity as well, without specifically commenting on what that may mean in the future.
This isn’t Nokia’s first go at a tablet. The company long talked about a tablet that would compete with the iPad. However, with Nokia’s mobile platforms floundering in the marketplace and Meego not feeling love from developers, the company seemingly decided not to out a tablet. Windows 8 is a perfect fit.
Nokia clearly sees its future with Microsoft. The company missed the wild and crazy early days of Android. Microsoft then made the decision to develop WinPhones easy by offering a billion dollars up front. As Elop pointed out, there’s a clear similarity between Nokia’s new phones and the Windows 8 user interface. If Nokia works it right, the company could quickly become the favorite within Microsoft’s entourage. And that’s a great place to be.