Nokia already makes Windows smartphones-- but will it really start making tablets? DigiTimes insists so, saying Nokia will enter the tablet race with a 10-inch Windows 8 offering sometime in Q4 2012 "at the earliest."

The Nokia tablet will apparently carry a dual-core Qualcomm SoC... in which case, judging from the Qualcomm SoC roadmap, it could be the Snapdragon S4.

Digitimes also says Taiwanese ODM Compal will take on production duties, with the first batch of shipments to total 200000 units.

With Windows 8 being quite tablet-centric, will Microsoft manage to bring a 3rd side to a tablet market currently split between low-cost Androids and iPads? If Nokia manages to combine the industrial design of the Lumia 800/900 smartphones with Windows 8 , it might manage to find itself with a winner in its hands.

Go Nokia Likely to Launch Windows 8 Tablet in Q4 2012 (DigiTimes)