Microsoft has followed the progress of ARM on the mobile market for the last couple of years and now the software giant has decided to act. According to new information Microsoft will present a new version of its Windows operating system at CES 2011. The system will not only support regular x86 processors but also ARM equivalents.
Of the smartphones and tablets that launch today almost all use ARM’s energy efficient processor architecture. ARM Holdings Plc licenses its processor technology to circuit makers that in turn build its own processors around the common framework. Some of the companies that uses the ARM architecture are NVIDIA, Samsung, Qualcomm, Apple and Texas Instrument, but the list of partners at ARM is much, much longer.
Among the mobile operating systems that support the ARM architecture are Google Android, Apple iOS, Megoo and BlackBerry OS. But even Microsoft supports the platform through its Windows Embedded and mobile OS Windows Phone 7, but the new operating system it will present at CES is said to be the biggest venture for ARM yet and focuses on larger battery powered devices like tablets.
Windows Phone 7 powered by ARM processors from Qualcomm
Mutiple companies have tried launching tablets based on Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system, but have failed since the software has been too “heavy”. The new ARM operating system will be targeting products like tablets, which together with Windows Phone 7 shows that Microsoft acknowledges the progress of ARM.
Neither Microsoft nor ARM has chosen to comment on the story at Bloomberg.com, but starting January we should know more.
