Despite its longtime role as the world's top mobile manufacturer coming to an end during the last quarter courtesy of Samsung, Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila has claimed the company is confident is can recapture its former glory.

Ollila admitted in an interview with the Financial Times that the Finnish firm has been slow to react to its rivals in the smartphone business, and making up the ground it has lost will take some time.

Outsmarted

"When you have such strong competitors in the marketplace it will take a bit of time but things are going well," said Ollila, adding that he is "happy" with Nokia's current strategy.

"Four years from mid-2008 to today the returns have not been where they should have been. The company saw it and it was broadly accepted but the software capability and particularly the platform software knowhow was not there.

"The competitors were faster, and bringing their solutions to the marketplace faster."

Part of Nokia's recovery, however, will come in the form of its forthcoming Windows 8 tablets.

Tablet times

Ollila once again confirmed multiple devices are inbound, though naturally gave no clue as to launch dates, features or price points.

"Tablets are an important one, so that is being looked into, and there will be different hybrids, different form factors [handset designs] in the future," he added.

Unlike Windows Phone, where Nokia is leading the charge, Ollila's firm won't have the Windows 8 tablet market to itself, however.

Lenovo has already claimed it is looking to launch the very first Windows 8 tablet, while PC giant Dell has also signalled its intent to be there on day one with a device.

[source: Financial Times]