Windows 8 on ARM Is Flawed, Intel Believes

Windows 8, the next-generation operating system from Microsoft, will be the first to arrive with support for ARM architectures as well, in addition to the x86 architecture that it already runs on. 

Dubbed Windows RT, Windows on ARM will pack most of the features that the rest of Windows 8 flavors will include, but it will still lack some important functions. 

For example, it won’t bring along support for legacy applications, which will be a bit of a problem for ARM devices, Intel claims. 

During a meeting with investors at Intel’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, Intel CEO Paul Otellini reportedly suggested that Windows 8 is flawed on ARM devices. 

The issue with these ARM PCs is that they won’t provide users with the Classic Windows environment that users have been already accustomed with, he said. 

Intel-based machines running Windows 8 will have this feature, which will pose a great advantage when it comes to competing with ARM architectures.

"With one button you can get to legacy mode...this is critically important for CIOs who want to preserve all of their investments in software," Otellini reportedly stated, referring to a Windows 8 ultrabook it was demonstrating. 

Concerns on Windows RT’s ability to satisfy user’s needs have been raised before as well. In fact, some software companies suggested that their applications won’t be able to deliver the intended experience on this platform version. 

On ARM devices, only the Metro environment will be available for users, although there will be some apps capable of running in the Classic Windows mode as well, namely Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 10. 

Yesterday, Mozilla and Google shouted their discontent with this, claiming that their Firefox and Chrome browsers, respectively, would be confined to the Metro UI on Windows RT, without even benefiting from full access to the APIs needed to make them competitive, modern browsers. 

This is not the first time that x86-based Windows 8 devices are said to come with a great advantage over ARM ones. 

However, while this has been mainly analyst talk until now, it appears that hardware makers are also starting to see the benefits of offering support for legacy apps and for the desktop mode on their Windows 8 computers.

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