Nokia is currently developing a tablet which will be launched later this year. The Nokia’s device based on the upcoming Windows 8 will compete with iPad and other tablets.

Photo: what Nokia tablet may look like, from theverge.com

Nokia’s design chief Marko Ahtisaari said in an interview with Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that he is spending a third of his time on creating the tablet. According to Forbes, Nokia has outsourced the production of its Windows 8 tablets to Compal Electronics, a Taiwanese ODM.  The device will run on Qualcomm’s dual core platform.

Since the tablet market is growing rapidly, it’ not strange that Nokia wants to battle Apple that starts selling iPad3 today. The new iPad boasts of an ultra bright Retina display and many new features.

But Nokia is intended to find a different approach on the market that would differ from the ways other tablets position themselves. «We continue to eye the tablet space with interest, but have made no specific announcements,» a company spokesman said, reports Reuters.

Nokia and Microsoft are already partners in the smartphone sphere with Windows Phone. Microsoft that tolled out the developer version of Windows 8 last fall, is expected to launch it globally by mid 2012.