Apple's iPhone OS moves into tablet territory with the introduction of the iPad, and Symbian OS should follow within 1-2 years according to Symbian's CEO.
In an interview with ZDNet UK, Symbian's Lee Williams recently revealed that Symbian OS will show up in tablet-style form factors within the next year or two. Symbian OS supports both ARM and Intel x86 architectures, and it turns out that a lot of companies are currently experimenting with new types of form factors ranging from Internet-connected devices to stereo systems.
It's not known whether companies will offer traditional netbooks based on Symbian OS though. Google recently said in an ArsTechnica interview that one of the biggest challenges for Chrome OS-powered netbooks would be to make people's transition from "Windows PCs to Chrome PCs" as smooth as possible. Nokia recently released the Booklet 3G based on Windows 7, but there could be a possibility of seeing a Symbian-powered netbook from that company down the road.
In the mobile app world we're living in now, the interesting part here is that the new generation of Symbian apps could easily be distributed on Windows 7 products. In other words, it'll be possible for a company like Nokia to offer all the expectations from users as far as Windows 7 features are concerned at the same time as offering additional Symbian apps to those who want that.
It's also still unclear whether we'll see direct Apple iPad competitors. Steve Jobs and his crew are rumored to be busy ramping up the iPad content offering already before the tablet has hit store shelves. It's pretty obvious that nobody wants to miss the new opportunities the iPad brings with it as far as content monetization is concerned.
Sony Ericsson is currently offering downloadable movies in some markets, and with Sony's new strategy of uniting all divisions to create top-notch consumer products, there's no doubt that the new Symbian OS is a great opportunity for Sony, with help from Sony Ericsson, to rather quickly create some kind of balance in the upcoming consumer tablet market. It remains to be seen whether they'll take it, of course.
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