14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8, the first version of the desktop client to arrive with enhancements meant for mobile devices and with expanded support for touchscreens, will also be the first to be loaded on ARM architectures.
Dubbed WOA (Windows on ARM), the platform will offer the same features and capabilities that Windows 8 will offer when loaded on x86/64 architectures.
To ensure that Windows will work on devices that are powered by a System on Chip (SoC), Microsoft has partnered with companies that make ARM processors.
Thus, Windows 8 will be loaded on devices featuring processors coming from NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.
When it comes to ARM licensees, each of them has its own approach towards selecting features and designing the complete silicon package, which means that there are differences between products that are based on the same ARM CPU
“There is no single ARM experience, and as we have seen with other operating systems, even the same ARM CPU combined with different components, drivers, and software can yield different types or qualities of experiences,” Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky explains in the blog post.
“That is why from the start of the WOA project, we have been working with three ARM licensees: NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.” Each of these companies will bring its own contribution to WOA, he continues.
The new version of Windows will be tuned to fit ARM hardware, and Microsoft was keen on making sure that users will benefit from a great experience regardless of the Windows 8 device they own.
“Our goal is to make sure that a reimagined Windows delivers a seamless experience from the chipset through firmware, through hardware, through the OS, through applications, and ultimately to the person interacting with the PC,” Sinofsky notes.
“This is a new level of involvement that brings with it a new level of engineering work across all of the parties involved. This new approach is about delivering a unique combination of choice, experiences, and a reliable end-to-end experience over the life of the PC.”
Microsoft is currently working on the beta release of Windows 8, set to arrive later this month as Windows Consumer Preview.