WINDOWS 8 ID RUN ON WINDOWS 7 MACHINES

Microsoft has confirmed that PCs running Windows 7 will be able to cope with the next iteration of its operating system, Windows 8, which is expected to be made available in 2012. Tami Reller, corporate vicepresident and CF0 of Windows and Windows Live, said the firm will continue the trend started with Windows 7 of "keeping system requirements either flat or reducing them over time". "Windows 8 will be able to run on a wide range of machines because it will have the same or lower requirements," she added. The system requirements for the 32bit edition of Windows 7 Home Premium list a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of hard-disk space and DirectX 9 graphics.

The 64bit version ups these requirements to 2GB of RAM and 20GB of disk space. Windows Vista lists the same system requirements, which could mean that PCs running the older OS will also be able to handle Windows 8. Microsoft has yet to confirm this. Microsoft will be hoping to avoid a debacle similar to the 'Vista Capable' lawsuit, in which a number of customers began legal action against the tech giant with claims that it had misled them. Microsoft was charged with deceptive practices in allowing PC makers to label their machines as 'Vista Capable' when a large number were able to run only the Basic edition of the OS.

Furthermore, consumers argued that Vista Home Basic wasn't the 'real' Vista, largely because it lacked the Aero graphical interface. Microsoft denied that it duped consumers, and countered that Home Basic was a legitimate version of Vista. Windows 8 will feature a primarily touch-based interface, and Microsoft will also introduce a tiled interface that looks like a direct import from its Windows Phone 7 mobile platform. The tiles offer a clear indication that Microsoft is shifting from traditional keyboard and mouse input to fingers and touchscreens. "We've built intelligence into Windows 8 so that it can adapt to the user experience based on the hardware of the user. Whether you're upgrading an existing PC, or buying a new one, Windows will adapt to make the most of that hardware," said Reller.

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Windows 8 Expected to bring bargain laptops

Nearly a quarter of Windows laptops will feature ARM processors by 2015. This will result in bargain buys for consumers, according to industry experts. Microsoft revealed at January's Consumer Electronics Show that its next operating system, Windows 8, will run on ARM processors. These chips are popular with smartphone and tablet manufacturers, but have previously made no inroads into the laptop or desktop PC market. But analysts believe the ARM format will prove inviting to manufacturers looking to build cheap and cheerful computers for consumers. iSuppli predicts that, in four years, 23 percent of all the world's Windows-based laptops - some 74 million units - will run on ARM'S chips. "The days of X86's unchallenged domination are coming to an end as Windows 8 opens the door for the use of the ARM processor, which has already achieved enormous popularity in the mobile phone and tablet worlds," said Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst at HIS. Processors based on designs licensed by ARM use much less power than traditional standalone X86 chips from Intel and AMD, and are more space-efficient, too.

It's easy to see why Microsoft wants to support ARM chips. It wants an operating system (OS) that can be run on both mobile and other devices. This will make Windows applications more marketable, and it will reduce the OS's reliance on Intel and AMD. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the move to support ARM would help the company deliver the same Windows experience on multiple platforms, including desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. ARM processors deliver acceptable performance at a very low cost 99 Cutting costs As well as being more space- and powerefficient, ARM processors are also cheaper than X86 chips. iSuppli believes the processors will increasingly find a home in the budget laptop market. Indeed, some big-brand manufacturers are already building ARM-based laptops in anticipation of growing demand for entry-level systems. Acer plans to introduce the first laptop with an ARM-based nVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor. The nVidia Tegra processor is a peculiar choice, but it might help Acer get ahead in the race to flood the market with ARM-based laptops.

FF "ARM is well-suited to value notebooks, where performance isn't a key criterion for buyers," said Wilkins. "Value notebook buyers are looking for basic systems that balance an affordable price with reasonable performance. ARM processors deliver acceptable performance at a very low cost. But Shane Rau, research director for computing semiconductors at IDC, said ARM will need to enable key hardware improvements for its chips to fit the profile of desktop PCs. Capabilities such as 64bit addressing, fast internal connections and more memory and cores need to be designed into future ARM architectures to cope with the performance needed by PCs. Legacy applications One key requirement that may affect the uptake of ARM-based Windows 8 laptops is whether they will support legacy apps. Renee James, general manager of Intel's software and services group, claimed earlier this year that the ARM version of Windows 8 will not be able to run older Windows apps. Microsoft deemed her comments "factually inaccurate and unfortunately misleading From the first demonstrations of FF II Windows on system-on-a-chip processors, we have been clear about our goals and have emphasised that we are at the technology demonstration stage," it said.

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