Monday, 5 March 2012

Windows 8 on ARM?


Would you buy a Windows tablet that doesn't run older Windows applications?
Recently Microsoft demonstrates tablets based on ARM processors from Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Nvidia. Tablets with those processors will not run so-called Intel "x86" legacy software (though they will run a full version of Office 15). Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky wrote about this on February 9. "If you need to run existing x86/64 (Intel-based) software, then you will be best served with Windows 8 on x86/64." And he reiterated this at Mobile World Congress on Wednesday.
In short, if you're going to buy a Windows 8 tablet, why not buy one that at least offers the option of running the galactic library of Windows apps? Not to mention that one big reason people use Windows as it runs all of those applications people come to love.
Microsoft's Sinofsky said that. "We do want to assure you that, when a consumer buys a WOA (Windows on ARM) PC, it will be clearly labeled and branded so as to avoid potential confusion with Windows 8 on x86/64," he wrote. So, Does legacy not really matter any more? i.e., it's old software not written for touch anyway? Will most consumers be starting with a clean slate or be more concerned about other features and/or capabilities?

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