ARM based Windows 8 devices will have desktop UI, Office 15

In a recent Windows 8 blog post Microsoft has revealed some very interesting information on the upcoming ARM edition of Windows 8, currently dubbed as Windows on ARM. They are saying that Windows on ARM (WOA) is still under development but should ship at the same time as x86/x64 PCs later this year.

The post also listed some ARM chipset partners that included Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. There was no mention of Samsung, this could mean that Samsung will not be making WOA devices or the more likely conclusion is that they will be using chipsets from TI or Nvidia rather than their own Exynos series chipsets.

All Metro styled applications in the Windows Store will be able to support both WOA and x86/x64 platforms as long as they are developed with the WinRT (Windows APIs for Metro style apps.) Furthermore, Windows on ARM will not support any any running, porting or emulation of existing x86/x64 programs.

Also included in the Windows 8 ARM edition will be full desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. This collection of software is currently code-named as Office 15 and has been designed with touch entry and power consumption in mind.

The desktop UI will also make its way across to WOA, this means those devices will have full access to the file explorer, Internet Explorer 10 for the desktop and “most other Windows desktop features.”

Microsoft would also love to point out that Windows on ARM will be the exact same as the x86/x64 variants out of the box.

Kitguru says: With these kind of developments we could soon see tablets being regarded as more than just content consumption devices.

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