Rumor: Microsoft bringing Windows to ARM chips

By Matthew Chung on 12/21/2010, filed in Home > Computers

Word is going around that Microsoft will be unveiling a full-featured version of Windows that will be capable of running on ARM-based processors at CES, marking a major departure from the x86 architecture. If the whispers going around are accurate, this version of Windows will continue to work on x86 processors, though it should offer improved battery performance on devices such as tablets that will be powered by ARM processors. Other sources claim that this new version will not be available for another two years, which is a long time in terms of technology and trends. Still, with CES just around the corner, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out if these reports are accurate or not.

ARM: ARM usually refers to the company ARM holdings, which is now famous for being behind the processor designs of the large majority (some say 98%) of the smartphones in the world. The ARM Architecture is a set of instructions based on the idea of RISC (reduced instruction set computer) which says that reducing the number of instructions to the most basic enables faster execution of each instruction. ARM Licenses the instruction set or complete processor design to its clients, which includes Nvidia, Qualcomm, Marvell, Freescale, TI, ST-Ericsson and many others.

CES: CES is the acronym for the (International) Consumer Electronics Show, one of the largest consumer-electronics shows in the world. Although it is held in Las Vegas today, the first CES happened in June 1967 in New York City and Bob Gavin, the CEO of Motorola was the opening keynote speaker for that first edition. Subsequently, CES was held twice a year: the summer edition was in New York, and the winter edition was in Las Vegas, that is, until 1998 when CES became a once-a-year show. CES has been the introduction place for key products and technologies, including: Pong (1975), Nintendo NES (1985), Tetris (1988), Compact Disc (1991), HDTV (1998), Xbox (2001), Blu-Ray (2003), OLED TV (2008). Check our latest CES Coverage

Microsoft: Microsoft is the company behind software like Windows, Microsoft Office and hardware like the Xbox and Kinect. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. MS-DOS was the product that propelled Microsoft towards success, but it is Windows and Office that made it what it is today. Microsoft is currently engaged in a number of projects, including Windows 8, Windows Phone, Xbox, Office and the Azure cloud computing platform. the large majority of desktop computers run on Windows.

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