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Nokia's Back In the Tablet Business, With the Android Lollipop-Based N1

Posted by timothy on from the serious-side-talkin' dept.

Esra Erimez writes It's been a little over a year since the announcement of Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Finnish tech veteran Nokia Oyj.'s Devices unit. A year later Chinese leaks site SINA Tech says Nokia is back and ready to compete against its former unit, suggesting it will launch in China on Jan. 7. As one commenter on the Daily Tech story points out (as does this ExtremeTech article from last month), the not-yet-launched N1, with its "one piece aluminum body, 7.9", 2048*1536, [and] 3:4 aspect ratio" looks an awful lot like the iPad mini, but costs quite a bit less.

37 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Not that much less by pushing-robot · · Score: 3, Informative

    The base iPad Mini 2 lists at $299 and was as low as $229 during recent sales; the N1 is launching at $249.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:Not that much less by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      The base iPad Mini 2 lists at $299 and was as low as $229 during recent sales; the N1 is launching at $249.

      And there are Commodore 64s on ebay for $50. This thing is clearly crazy overpriced.

    2. Re:Not that much less by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      and how much is the version with 32GB storage?

    3. Re:Not that much less by stephanruby · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The base iPad Mini 2 lists at $299 and was as low as $229 during recent sales; the N1 is launching at $249.

      That's probably why the author of the article talked about the base iPad Mini 3, not the iPad Mini 2.

      The new Nokia N1 tablet, apparently. At just $250 with 32GB of storage — as opposed to the iPad Mini 3’s base price of $400 for the 16GB model — the Nokia N1 is definitely priced to sell.

      And yes, from Apple's own comparison page, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the iPad Mini 2 and the iPad Mini 3. But to be fair to Nokia, its specs are superior to the iPad Mini 2 and 3.

      And also, the Android tablets are the ones that initially embraced the 7 inch to 8 inch sizes, so one could say that Apple is the one that cloned those tablets from Asus, Samsung, HTC, and LG. But then again, a specs side-by-side comparison of Nokia's new tablet wouldn't look as good against the newer Android tablets made other manufacturers. Not to mention, the word "iPad" still has the most mind share, where it comes to people talking about tablets in general.

    4. Re: Not that much less by kurkosdr · · Score: 1

      Google caved in and released Nexuses with 32GB storage. And I haven't met a single Android fanboy downplaying the importance of local storage.

    5. Re:Not that much less by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      But it's an iPad Mini 2. I suppose it's a good deal as a gift for grandma.

      What is the value of being able to control your own OS?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    6. Re:Not that much less by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      To the vast majority of the marketplace? The value is zero.

      When you're making a consumer decision, do you ask yourself, "what do the vast majority of people do?"

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    7. Re:Not that much less by Kurrelgyre · · Score: 1

      Well then you should be asking, "from whom am I going to get general O.S. and security updates?" And for how long?

    8. Re:Not that much less by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      I wonder why they have to quote some site as if this was news or secret when slashdot could have quoted the-non-microsoft-part-of-nokia directly or could have quoted slashdot directly.

      it's a dupe.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    9. Re:Not that much less by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      When you're making a consumer decision, do you ask yourself, "what do the vast majority of people do?"

      Of course I do, and furthermore, the more important the decision is, the more likely I am to follow the herd. If I'm buying a car, for example, I want to know that I'll be able to get parts for it. If it's used and cheap then I can afford some expensive parts, no big deal. If I'm buying a new car, I want something good yes, but also something everyone else is buying so that I know that parts availability will be high, and parts cost will be low.

      Of course, the mast majority of people who buy mobile devices buy Android devices, not iOS ones, so the herd is still no argument for Apple.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Not that much less by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      I think you'll be able to get "parts" for your android tablets for as long as you need them.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Re:Whoa! No Windows RT? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is the part of Nokia that was not acquired by Microsoft.

  3. Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by ArcadeMan · · Score: 2

    Except it doesn't run iOS, which means it's not an iPad mini.

    Someone who wants for a Playstation 4 for Christmas doesn't want an Xbox One.

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    1. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      In which regard, Limpy?

      The Nokia has an aluminium body, the nexus is plastics with a small frame of aluminium at the edge.

      So in my eye the Nokia is far superior, what are your thoughts?

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    2. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by stephanruby · · Score: 2

      Except it doesn't run iOS, which means it's not an iPad mini. Someone who wants for a Playstation 4 for Christmas doesn't want an Xbox One.

      Yes, but Christmas shopping implies that someone else is going to make that purchase for you, and iPad Minis are vastly overpriced.

      If you were my relative, this is the tablet I'd get you. It's far cheaper than the iPad Mini. Its screen is almost one inch bigger than the iPad Mini. And its battery lasts a hell of a lot longer too.

    3. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have never seen someone replace his tablet because it is made in plastic instead of aluminium. People replace their phone/tablet beacause it is too slow/old or because the display is broken. Aluminium frames do not protect the display any better.

    4. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      What I meant is that the only advantage of aluminium is that some people think it looks better.

    5. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I never have replaced a tablet, so I don't know :)

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      Think of a laptop. Have you ever replaced one because the plastic was broken? And that metal would have spared you from purchasing a new one? I don't.

    7. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Sigh ... that was never the topic.

      The topic is what would you prefer to buy first, we don't talk about replacing anything. And yes all my laptops are made from metal. And I indeed know people with MacBooks who now buy MacBook Pros because the plastic broke after 10 years. But no idea if plastic macs even still are produced.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    8. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      So plastic laptops last 10 years. That's way more than the average laptop replacement cycle. In short plastic is not the limiting factor and shouldn't influence your purchase. Except of course if you want to pay more for the look of a metal frame.

    9. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Lol.
      You don't get it?
      How should I explain it?
      If I see two complete same specced items one for X dollars and the other one for 50 dollars more, and the more expensive one has as only difference a metal frame: I buy the metal frame. And the extra 50 are worth it.
      So please stop claiming that one of both is overprised and that no person would buy it.
      Also I have no idea about your 'replacement cycles'. I don't really 'replace' laptops. I buy a new one when 'I feel like it' and usually I keep my old ones or sell them (rarely) as second hand.

      Your whole argument makes for _me_ no sense at all. I thought I had pointed that out now several times.

      Perhaos you understand me better know, perhpas not.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    10. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's worth it for you because you prefer the look of a metal frame. But there is no rational argument for paying $50 more for metal. Especially not in the $300 price range.

    11. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      It is more stable, e.g. when you sit on it by accident.
      It feels better in my hand (for me that is rational, you might find it emotional :D )

      Point is: the price difference is _rationale_, if one buys it, is his business

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    12. Re:Looks an awful lot like the iPad mini by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      It is more stable, e.g. when you sit on it by accident.

      Not really. It can only bend while plastic will tolerate more deformation / absorbs more shock.

      It feels better in my hand (for me that is rational, you might find it emotional :D )

      Feels better? They should make it in soft textile it would feel even better :-P

      Point is: the price difference is _rationale_, if one buys it, is his business

      Of course it is his business. It doesn't make it rational. A lot of people make irrational purchasing decisions.

  4. Jolla by IANAAC · · Score: 1
    I'm much more interested in what Jolla may come out with. Their OS interests me, and for those android apps I'd need (none of them need Google Play), I'd imagine they'll have it ready to run them.

    From their crowdfunding promo that I saw a month or so ago, it looks like it'll be expensive, though.

  5. It's about Intel not Nokia by jphamlore · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What has flown over everyone's head, and it's really disheartening to see this, is this tablet product is likely much more about Intel than Nokia. Intel wants to keep some presence in tablets while it transitions from 22nm to 14nm at which point its products would be much more competitive. Furthermore Intel does not currently even fab its own wireless modems. Fortunately a tablet does not even need an LTE modem, has larger room for batteries, and fortunately Google has recently released Android 5.0 Lollipop with 64-bit support, great for the Atom Intel is using as a transitional product.

    1. Re:It's about Intel not Nokia by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Based on Atom? Wonder whether Foxconn can make an optional Windows tablet out of the same gear, and still carry the Nokia brand name? If something is based on Intel, might as well leverage the ability to run all that Wintel software

    2. Re:It's about Intel not Nokia by jrumney · · Score: 1

      great for the Atom Intel is using as a transitional product.

      Thanks for the explanation. The purpose of the aluminium body is now fully understood.

  6. Will it run by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 2

    Maemo?

  7. Not really, a licensing deal for their Nokia brand by jppiiroinen · · Score: 1

    I think that the story has a misleading content, as it is not the Nokia itself, it is just some OEM from China with a license to use Nokia brand.

    From their press [1] release:

    "The N1 will be brought to market in Q1 2015 through a brand-licensing agreement with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner responsible for manufacturing, distribution and sales."

    "The OEM partner is responsible for full business execution, from engineering and sales to customer care, including liabilities and warranty costs, inbound IP and software licensing and contractual agreements with 3rd parties"

    [1] http://company.nokia.com/en/ne...

  8. Dear Nokia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Your brand name is damaged and once my N900 dies you will be forgotten - bye.

  9. Cool, but not as cool as the N9 series... by master_p · · Score: 2

    As a user of several devices, I can tell you that the N900 was the only device that actually felt like a pocket computer.

    For us computer geeks, the concept of N900 was the ideal device: quite open, based on Linux, accessible from the command line, with a nice keyboard you could use to program for, etc.

    There are millions like me who are waiting for the successor of N900. It is a huge lost opportunity for Nokia. Bringing out tablets with Android is cool, but what they did with N900 was way cooler...

    1. Re:Cool, but not as cool as the N9 series... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      There are millions like me who are waiting for the successor of N900.

      Well, you should stop waiting, and get a case with a keyboard in it. Then, you can have the best of both worlds, because you don't have to carry the keyboard around when you're not using it. I understand that the TF series can be a bit big for one's pockets, but there are other options.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Cool, but not as cool as the N9 series... by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 2

      I feel the same way, which is why I'm looking at the Neo900 project with hope. The way things are going they might actually pull it off, and I will have my n900 replacement.

      No modern phone, even with a bluetooth keyboard, comes close to what the n900 could do, and how easy it was to modify, tweak and bend to your will, I miss it :-(

    3. Re:Cool, but not as cool as the N9 series... by Spugglefink · · Score: 1

      My N900 broke. I'm sad.

  10. Re:Not really, a licensing deal for their Nokia br by mgcarley · · Score: 1

    "Some OEM" is a funny way to put it when you're talking about Foxconn :)

    Based on your username, I'm going to make an educated guess that you're Finnish and resent the sale of what was once Finland's flagship company to Microsoft, which is fair enough. But in some ways though, maybe Nokia's influence on the Finnish economy was (until Elop the destroyer came along) a bit *too* large - I lived in Finland for a while and I'm fairly proud of the fact that I was the only non-Finn I knew of that never held a job that involved working (directly or indirectly) for Nokia.

    --
    Founder & COO, Hayai India (hayai.in) / USA (hayaibroadband.com) // t: @mgcarley