Nokia Is Developing An iPad-Killer – Report

The iPad may be grabbing headlines everywhere today – it’s hard to find anyone talking about something else – but Apple’s made a few enemies on its way here, and now Nokia plans its own iPad killer, set to ship this fall.

Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar says Nokia is working with suppliers and design manufacturers on a touch-screen tablet.

“Nokia hasn’t fielded any breakaway products in years,” he said as reported by The Street. “This is a new window, and Nokia had better be at the starting gate if and when the product category takes off,” he said.

Beyond iPad, the move also puts the Finnish firm in direct competition with HP, Microsoft, Google and Dell, all four of which are also making a bid for the tablet market.

Learning from previous mistakes (neither Nokia’s N770 handheld nor its Booklet 3G device achieved wide acceptance), Nokia is attempting to push its own MeeGo OS in partnership with chip giant Intel.

Nokia must deliver a competitive product and be ready to compete on price, the analyst warns. “Nokia needs to get its products out fast and ramp up the production rapidly or it’s going to be tough to play catch-up,” he said, forecasting the Finnish firm will have a hard time meeting these new challenges.