Nokia’s tablet/eReader project got canned in 2013

Sep 12, 2015 07:51 GMT  ·  By

Back in 2013, Microsoft acquired Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia, who has been struggling to maintain its business afloat for quite some time.

Microsoft paid a pretty petty amount in order to bring Nokia into the fold, including design, manufacturing and distribution of both smart and feature phones and the right to license many of Nokia’s patents, as well as the right to use the Nokia name on a host of mobile services.

But prior to the acquisition, Nokia might have had quite a few projects going on. For example, there was talk that after the company rolled out the Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet, another model codenamed Nokia Illusionist would be released. Sadly, the 8-inch tablet was canceled and we never got to see it become a real product.

But did you know that Nokia was also working on an eReader of some sort? A leaked image posted by popular leakster @evleaks showcases a so-called Nokia Reader, apparently dated back to 2013. We’re not told whether the product was in the works prior to the Microsoft acquisition or after it, but we assume the first scenario is true.

Would you have fancied a Nokia eReader?

As far as we can see, we’re dealing with an eReader that looks very much like a tablet. The device also seems to feature a protective cover of some sort. It doesn’t seem like the product features an e-Ink display, but then again, we’re not shown a picture of the eReader with its display turned on.

According to a report from Geek on Gadgets, the eReader was canceled by CEO Stephen Elop. Apparently, the tablet/eReader project was called “Pine” and featured a Linux-based operating system on board. Nokia had reportedly teamed up with several ebook providers in order to get some interactive content on board the device.

We’re not given any insight into why exactly Elop wanted to can the project, but at least we can take a look at Pine and wonder what if?

What do you think? Would you have fancied a tablet/eReader looking like the device in the image?