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Nokia's N1 Android Tablet Is Actually a Foxconn Tablet
sfcrazy writes:
"Nokia surprised everyone when it announced the N1 Android tablet during the Slush conference in Finland, today. This story has a twist, though: the N1 is not a Nokia device. Nokia doesn't have a device unit anymore: it sold its Devices and Services business to Microsoft in 2013. The N1 is made by Taiwanese contract manufacturing company Foxconn, which also manufactures the iPhone and the iPad.
But Nokia's relationship with Foxconn is different from Apple's. You buy iDevices from Apple, not Foxconn; you call Apple for support, not Foxconn. You never deal with Foxconn. In the case of N1, Foxconn will be handling the sales, distribution, and customer care for the device. Nokia is licensing the brand, the industrial design, the Z Launcher software layer, and the IP on a running royalty basis to Foxconn.
But Nokia's relationship with Foxconn is different from Apple's. You buy iDevices from Apple, not Foxconn; you call Apple for support, not Foxconn. You never deal with Foxconn. In the case of N1, Foxconn will be handling the sales, distribution, and customer care for the device. Nokia is licensing the brand, the industrial design, the Z Launcher software layer, and the IP on a running royalty basis to Foxconn.
If you have a look at the pictures, you can see that it has more than a similarity to the iPad mini than just "rounded corners". It basically looks identical except for the Apple Logo and home button.
What else is distinctive about an iPad apart from those two things? Really, all tablets look the same. They're basically just a rectangular touch-screen. About the only variations possible in their hardware are colour, size, and buttons - and some utilitarian designs as to which ports are located where, which are hardly distinctive.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
it does seem like Foxconn have ripped off the iPad mini design
actually it says this is a Nokia design:
Nokia is responsible for the industrial design
and are using the "Nokia" (Microsoft) brand
wrong, from the summary:
This story has a twist, though: the N1 is not a Nokia device. Nokia doesn't have a device unit anymore: it sold its Devices and Services business to Microsoft in 2013.
given that Microsoft have a cross-licensing deal with Apple that lets Microsoft and Apple rip each other off as much as they like.
but Microsoft has nothing to do with this, Nokia is not owned by Microsoft, they just sold one of their divisions (one that is not involved with this device at all) to Microsoft.
how is parent modded "informative" it is completely wrong in every aspect except pointing out the similarity to the ipad. in fact it is plainly clear the commenter did not even read the summary much less the article and just started commenting based on what he thought the story might be about and then drawing conclusions. should be modded "misinformative".
It can't happen to Apple because there's nothing special about the hardware of ipads. The secret sauce is iOS and the itunes ecosystem.
And you know.. the hardware. Seeing as their CPUs continually run circles around everyone and are even giving Intel a run for their money. The nvidia K1 in the Nexus9 (dual core 64bit version) looks promising but they had to clock it at 2.3Ghz and still lost to Apple at 1.5ghz.