Nokia could skip Microsoft for tablet OS

Nokia could be considering a move away from Microsoft in its plans for tablet devices.

A recent report from Reuters suggests that the company is undecided about which platform it wants to run its upcoming line of tablets.

The report cites unnamed sources in suggesting that Nokia is looking at a number of options for its tablet platform.

The article quotes the source as suggesting "that could include Microsoft, it may not".

Nokia made waves in the smartphone space earlier this year when it announced plans to adopt Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform as the primary operating system for its future smartphone models.

Analysts have said that the move signals the likely end for the Symbian platform, but could help to reinvigorate Nokia's handset market by adding the software might of Microsoft and the Windows brand.

While the move could provide Nokia with a strong option in the smartphone space, the company still has to address a tablet market that Microsoft does not plan to enter in earnest until at least 2012 with the arrival of Windows 8.

IDC vice president of clients and displays Bob O'Donnell believes that Nokia could indeed look elsewhere for its tablet OS in the short term, with Android being the likely choice.

"Microsoft doesn't have much as far as tablets go. Windows tablets are really not a great option yet," the analyst told V3.co.uk. "It is very likely that Nokia will go with someone else."

O'Donnell did not discount the possibility of Nokia's going back to Windows down the line when Microsoft optimises the platform for use in tablets.

He noted that, while Android has a growing share of the software market, hardware vendors are still struggling to carve out individual shares of the Android customer base.