Finnish giant Nokia are loading tablet artillery against leader iPad and will fire a Windows 8 tab next June, its CEO revealed in an accidental slip of the tongue Wednesday. “In June 2012, we will have a tablet running on Windows 8,” Paul Amsellem, director general of Nokia France told French publication, Les Echos.

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Nokia Windows 8 tablet concept. Image: Concept Phones

This will mark mobile giant’s Nokia first foray into the (now) lucrative tablet market, although is a clear progression from its $1bn lock in OS relationship with Microsoft, which saw it surrender its Symbian platform.

Nokia also launched its first ever Windows 7.5 smartphones in London recently.

W8, Microsoft’s next software update, and as yet unreleased, is said to be similar to the tile interface on W 7.5 that combines all communications into one and will be “fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact,” says Microsoft’s head of Windows Experience, Julie Larson-Green.

And analysts believe Windows based tabs could do the business among corporate users in particular, due to the familiarity with Windows Office interface and ability to migrate existing applications from an existing notebook or PC to a tab.

However, a Nokia spokeswoman dismissed the comments by the French boss as mere speculation:

“The remarks were taken out of context. A simple example was taken to mean more than intended. Nokia do not comment on speculation or rumours and at the moment we are all concentrating on the Lumia 800 which went on sale this week.”

Apple iPad currently holds around 73% market share  here in Australia.