Nokia will help Microsoft's Windows 8 take its first steps in the tablet market with a 10-inch ARM device bound for launch in Q4 2012, reports DigiTimes.

The unnamed device, divulged by "upstream component suppliers", will also sport a dual-core Qualcomm system-on-a-chip – most likely the firm's Snapdragon S4, recently showcased at CES 2012.

DigiTimes' sources claim Nokia will outsource production of the rumoured tablet to Compal Electronics, which will produce an initial batch of 200,000 units ready for day one.

Risks and uncertainties

Though the firm itself is yet to comment, such a strategy would fall in line with Nokia's SEC filing, where the company suggested its support of Windows Phone would be bolstered if it also adopted Windows 8 in tablet form.

"We manufacture mobile devices, but currently no other adjacent products, such as tablets," the company said in the filing.

"As a result, Nokia products with Windows Phone may be a less compelling choice for consumers who wish to purchase multiple mobile products from the same manufacturer or with the same or compatible operating system in order to facilitate a smooth interaction among mobile products."

Nokia claimed a smartphone only approach also risks alienating "developers and other participants to the Windows Phone ecosystem if they do not have the opportunity to leverage their offerings across a wide range of different mobile and electronic products."

Such internal concerns lend credibility to DigiTimes' claims, with Nokia stating an "inability to compete effectively in the tablet and developing multi-screen market...may also have an adverse effect on the desirability of our smartphones."

[source: DigiTimes]