Windows on ARM - different manufacturers, different versions

[yukka]

This article was posted on a different site about the differences between Windows on Arm and Windows 8 for PC.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...d-of-preview/2012/02/08/gIQA71s23Q_story.html

What is concerning is this line - "Another aspect of WOA worth noting is that while Windows 8 for PC will be able to run on any Windows 7 PC, WOA won’t have a standard version and will be different for each manufacturer that makes the devices.”

Sounds to me like they are going the way of android with different manufacturers having different features. That is very different from Windows Phone 7 where all the settings are identical except the odd exclusive set of apps (ie. Nokia drive etc or HTCs couple of apps).

Personally supporting Android phones for students at my University has been a nightmare because one version of 2.2/2.3 wont have proxy settings where another manufacturers release of the same version will have them included. I really hope WOA isn’t going the same way where consumers can’t trust that they are getting the complete package when they buy an arm tablet.

Having an identical set of features never hurt the iPad. How far will the differences between different manufacturers go?

Or... does this mean that it needs compiling for the specific model and the features will be the same.

 

[gbhall]

I suspect you will need a fine-grained update process for supporting all future issues of Windows on whatever platforms. Likely the feature-bloat in Windows has gone totally out of control. This has been the case already for some time, and most large organisations standardise on chosen hardware and OS issue for that very reason.

You will need to keep your ear to the ground on that one. Try getting in touch with other University support organisations - you probably need to start - or join - a mutual support group. Escalate the problem upwards as required.

 

[Leeky]

The way I understand it, it is merely to cover the differences in ARM SoC's, and will not be as fragmented as the Android market has become.

That will also be the primary reason for holding back on selling individual ARM based Windows 8 licenses as well, because the 2-3 different platforms will need minor tweaks in code in order to give the same experience across all ARM and X86 based devices set to use the OS.

I think the situation with Google and the way Android has become a mass maze of differences is definitely not something Microsoft will want. They're working very closely with ARM partners to ensure it doesn't happen.

At the end of the day you won't be able to buy any genuine Windows 8 license for ARM, nor will you be able to just get "any" ARM powered tablet and run Window 8 on it. The only official devices will be those Microsoft has worked with and approve of, and those are currently only specific Nvidia, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm ARM devices.

At worse you'd have 3 device types to deal with, not the hundreds of combinations of Android.