Those who expected a working prototype using an ARM processor will be for expenses: Microsoft has shown a device of this type, NVIDIA logo, but it is a tablet-based Intel chip to be used for developers take their first tests on Windows 8. Designed by Samsung, it adopts a format and a 11.6-inch configuration worthy of many laptops, and is not a straightforward novel, since it was present at the IFA in Berlin in early September.
It’s not clear if that means Microsoft will use the Series 7 Slate to demo Windows 8 next week or if Samsung is working on a special version that may have a different chipset. If it really is a quad-core machine, it seems more likely that the tablet would have an ARM-based processor than an Intel chip, since a quad-core x86 chip uses far more energy than an ARM chip. If Microsoft and Samsung want to show a device that gets more than a half hour of battery life, ARM technology seems like a safer bet.
It comes accompanied by a small docking station (connection via a special connector) which allows to ensure the sector and provides support via an additional USB port and an HDMI port and an Ethernet network. To illustrate the fact that Windows 8 is interesting as well with a touchscreen than with more traditional input devices, Microsoft has asked Samsung to provide the tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard.
One would think that the publisher would have opted for a configuration-based low-power processor, even while a chip based on ARM architecture, this first device with Windows 8. However, two problems arose: how to support ARM's have not yet been revealed (it does not say that it is complete and is not limited to the interface and Metro applications associated), and system performance are still questionable, because development still far from being finalized.
The two partners have opted for a high-end configuration, which effectively guarantees the performance more than adequate, even if it causes some noise and an autonomy that is likely to prove less equipped with ARM products. Finally, though, Windows 8 should not be released in final version for at least a year
It’s not clear if that means Microsoft will use the Series 7 Slate to demo Windows 8 next week or if Samsung is working on a special version that may have a different chipset. If it really is a quad-core machine, it seems more likely that the tablet would have an ARM-based processor than an Intel chip, since a quad-core x86 chip uses far more energy than an ARM chip. If Microsoft and Samsung want to show a device that gets more than a half hour of battery life, ARM technology seems like a safer bet.
It comes accompanied by a small docking station (connection via a special connector) which allows to ensure the sector and provides support via an additional USB port and an HDMI port and an Ethernet network. To illustrate the fact that Windows 8 is interesting as well with a touchscreen than with more traditional input devices, Microsoft has asked Samsung to provide the tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard.
One would think that the publisher would have opted for a configuration-based low-power processor, even while a chip based on ARM architecture, this first device with Windows 8. However, two problems arose: how to support ARM's have not yet been revealed (it does not say that it is complete and is not limited to the interface and Metro applications associated), and system performance are still questionable, because development still far from being finalized.
The two partners have opted for a high-end configuration, which effectively guarantees the performance more than adequate, even if it causes some noise and an autonomy that is likely to prove less equipped with ARM products. Finally, though, Windows 8 should not be released in final version for at least a year
