The so called Wintel alliance between Windows and Intel that has locked in the market to use x86 based processors and an operating system from Microsoft is now over according to ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih since no sole maker of operating system or processor can dominate the market for PC, tablets and handhelds like before.
The market for tablets is growing, smartphones is almost a given and we buy more notebooks than desktops. The market is changing and according to ASUS chairman Jonney Shih we are entering a new era where Wintel, or Windows and a x86 based processor, no longer will set the pace of the industry.
The big change we see right now is how the majority is moving from the stationary market to mobile units, but also tablets and smartphones, and battery time has become a priority with consumers. And where do you draw the line between these three categories? ARM and its partners is working on getting high performance alternatives and Microsoft is making Windows 8 and other products ARM compatible.
We already see changes taking place and 2012 may very well be the year we see the biggest change on the PC market since it was introduced. ASUS are very enthusiastic over how things are developing, but point out that the new era also change the ranking order in the IT industry substantially..
Source: Digitimes