Leaked images of devices are a regular occurrence these days, but one Nokia device that has managed to fly under the radar all this time, is the company’s upcoming Windows RT slate.
The Finnish hardware maker is expected to unveil two products at an event in New York City later this month. One is its first ever phablet, the large screen Lumia 1520 (codenamed Bandit), and the other is a shiny new Windows RT tablet (codenamed Sirius), marking its first ever foray onto the tablet market.
But while there have been a bucket load of rumors about the specifications and estimated price of the device, an image showing the tablet in questions has not yet surfaced.
Paul Thurrott, however, did a little round up of upcoming Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 devices that are set to launch in the future. And along with some speculated details about the hardware, a new image has also been posted showing a fiery red tablet.
These new details claim that the price of the Nokia tablet will be $499, and it will be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm 8974 processor.
Also posted are the previously speculated specifications like the 10.1-inch display with a 1920 by 1080 pixels resolution. A keyboard cover that doubles up as an extra battery is also expected.
While the image above seems more like a concept render rather than an actual photo of the device, there is a fair chance that the tablet will end up looking something like this — colorful and flamboyant.
We should find out more about this come September 26 after Nokia holds its press event.
The only little thing that may be of concern to some is the price. $499 for a tablet of this size and quality may seem okay, but when you consider that other companies are gearing up to release Atom powered solutions at well under $399, it raises a few interesting questions.
What is your say on this, fine fellows? Up for a Nokia slate like this and at this price? Do comment.
All Comments
I understand Nokia’s reasoning on price. They’re probably operating on the notion of “if you make a great product, people will pay for it.” I agree that has it’s place. But right now the biggest wave in technology is trying to save money. The fact that some many full Windows tablets are coming out under $400 really makes it even harder at this price point. I don’t think Microsoft should give Windows of Windows Phone away for free, but maybe that is what they need to do with Windows RT. That way the devices can be cheap. Maybe Nokia could do a tablet/smartphone bundle.
I think there’s a market for RT solutions. In fact, having owned an Asus Vivibook RT, I’d say that the desktop mode is not well-suited to tablets. The screen is just too small, so the ability to run full blown Windows software is of questionable value on anything below 11.6 inches. Even running the Office suite on my RT called for super-power vision. The Modern (Metro) interface has great potential on its own, especially if MS produces Office Modern apps for Word and Excel like they have for OneNote. As Ray C says, the key is going to be price — but I would also say weight and screen format (ideally 16:10) would be deciding factors. Whatever the outcome, I’m looking forward to the upcoming releases of the next few months.