Windows 8 ARM
Microsoft made its deadline for the completion of the Windows 8 RTM (Release to Manufacturing)
build as they previously scheduled. However, that wasn't the only Windows-based OS that got the official sign off today.
TheNextWeb.com reports that Windows RT, Microsoft's brand name for the version of Windows 8 made to run on processors based on ARM, has also reached the RTM build stage. In addition, the story claims that Microsoft has already sent out the RTM build to hardware makers that are building Windows RT devices.
Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Texas Instruments will be the companies that will make the ARM-based processors to run on Windows RT-based hardware(Windows 8 runs on x86 processors made by Intel and AMD). Microsoft has already announced that it will not sell a stand alone version of Windows RT; it will only be available for consumers when they buy a new hardware product with Windows RT already installed.
Microsoft will launch the Windows RT version of its Surface tablet PC on October 26th, the same day as the official consumer launch of Windows 8 and Asus has also confirmed it will launch a Windows RT-based device. Another version of the Surface hardware, running on Windows 8 Pro on an Intel chip, won't launch until at least 90 days later.
Asus Shows Off ARM-based Windows 8 Tablet
Asustek Computer (Asus) on Monday showed off a tablet with an ARM processor and the Windows RT OS, becoming among the first of its type shown by PC makers. The product, called Asus Tablet 600, has an 10-inch display and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU. The tablet was shown running Windows RT Tablet Preview edition during the Asus news conference at the Computex trade show in Taipei.
The tablet weighs 520 grams, and is 8.35 millimeters thick. Asus did say when the device will be available.
The device is intended to be a highly mobile device, said Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus, during a speech at the news conference. The device is a breakthrough for Microsoft and ARM, who have worked closely to bring the new OS to devices. ARM processors are found in most smartphones and tablets, and the new device provides a path for Microsoft to compete with other operating systems including Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS.
The new Asus tablet also adds weight to ARM-based devices running Windows, and a possible avenue for Microsoft to break away from its reliance on x86 chips for Windows. Windows grew up on Intel's x86 chips, and so far Windows on ARM devices have only been shown by chip makers such as Nvidia, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, and users have not been allowed to play around with them freely.
The Asus tablet has a quad-core Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia. Windows RT comes preloaded with Office 15, a group of widely used productivity applications. Microsoft has said it had to re-engineer Windows RT to deal with expectations for ARM based devices, which include all-day connectivity and low power consumption.
The tablet also has an 8-megapixel camera at the rear with LED flash, and a 2-megapixel camera at the front. It has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Intel has already started the war of words against ARM around Windows 8, with Intel's CEO Paul Otellini saying that ARM devices will be incompatible with existing Windows applications and drivers. But analysts have said that Windows RT devices will likely be attractive to users who have few ties with legacy Windows PCs. Low prices could also attract users to Windows on ARM devices.
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The Waves Of 64-bit ARM and Windows 8 Systems Are Going To Have An Impact
The buzz over Apple's iPad Mini (see The iPad Mini Arrives With Few Surprises) and updated iPads is quickly being smothered by two recent announcements including Arm's Cortex-A50 (see Delivering 64-Bit Arm Platforms) and Microsoft's Windows 8 (see Windows 8 Changes Are More Than Skin Deep Windows 8 Changes Are More Than Skin Deep). These two look to be rising waves that will be large and long. It could be a wild ride.
Apple's iPad family will continue to sell well but the overall impact of Microsoft's and Arm's announcement will have a much wider than even the popular iPad. This is because these other two items address more markets than the iPad that has a very large but focused audience.
The Windows 8 Wave
Microsoft's Windows 8 release covers everything from desktops to tablets (Fig. 1). It has a new programming interface and user interface that developers are just starting to master. Windows 8 will clearly dominate the desktop market essentially competing with its siblings including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Desktops shipments are not the growing like a decade ago but they remain an important market. Forced migration to Windows 8 will occur simply because it will be the only platform available on new machines.
At this point, Windows 7 Embedded will remain the platform of choice but eventually a newer incarnation, likely Windows 8 Embedded, will replace it. Embedded applications have different requirements and the embedded Windows incarnation has always trailed the desktop version.
Laptops, netbooks and Ultrabooks have seen some Linux incursions but Windows is still the dominant operating system for non-Apple solutions. Windows 8's touch support is something that is becoming more common on these mobile platforms. Windows 7 and earlier versions of Windows had touch support to a degree but it tended to be more mouse simulation or character recognition support. Windows 8 support is much different and not a device driver afterthought of the earlier version.
The tablet market is where Microsoft and company run right into Apple's iPad and a host of Android tablets. The market has broken out into small 7-in tablets and larger 10-in tablets. Aspect ratio and overall size vary significantly but there is more variance in this area than most others in terms of hardware. There are two big Windows 8 kickers in the tablet market. The first is that Microsoft will be selling its own hardware. The second is the Windows RT support for Arm platforms.
The challenge in the tablet market will be managing the confusion that arises because of the Windows name. Windows RT is essentially Windows 8 and it looks and operates like its x86 counterparts. In general, Windows RT tablets, including those from third parties, will compete directly with Android and iPad tablets but also with x86 Windows 8 tablets. The x86-based Windows 8 tablets are the only ones that can run x86 Windows applications. This will probably be the reason for users to choose this platform over an Arm-based solution.
Windows 8 smartphones have a lot of competition with Apple's iPhone and Android-based smartphones. Apple has carved out a major chunk of the market with just a couple iPhone platforms while a number of Android solutions are available. It seems that new Android smartphones pop up every week.
The Windows 8 wave is just starting. It will be at least a year before it crests. The only reason its impact will not be wider is that Microsoft's server offering has its own naming convention and support. The underlying technology for Windows 8, especially power management and security, will be or have been incorporated into Windows Server.
The 64-bit ARM Wave
Arm announced their 64-bit offerinig awhile ago (see Arm Joins The 64-bit Club) but Arm TechCon 2012 is where this architecture has started to turn into a real platform family now called Cortex-A50. Two incarnations, the low power Cortex-53 and high performance Cortex-57 can be combined in a big.LITTLE (see Little Core Shares Big Core Architecture) configuration for platforms like smartphones and tablets
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