In an attempt to forefend the intensive competition with famous products like Apple Inc.’s iPad, Microsoft is working on a new operating system, as reported by the people briefed on the plan.
The brand that built its widely used Windows operating system based on x86 technology from chipmakers Intel and AMD is now upgrading next month to a new version designed on chips from ARM Holdings PLC in addition to the x86 chip technology as they consume less power. They are currently being used in tablets and handheld devices like smartphones of Apple that are dominating the market since last spring.The Microsoft, Intel and ARM spokesperson refused to comment.The initiative to produce a new version of Windows is an attempt to modularize Windows further such that unnecessary pieces of the operating system for low-power devices can be removed to make the software work abrasively on the devices.
Microsoft’s plans for Windows 8 were reported earlier by Bloomberg. The software giant pioneered the tablet concept in the 1990s on the devices that used x86 chips by the pen-based versions of Windows. But the latest models based on the most recent operating system, Windows 7, have been eclipsed by Apple’s iPad.
Microsoft earlier had stated that the lower-power chips being developed by Intel will make Windows tablets more interesting. But analysts think that Windows needs an advanced version to suit the tablets better.
The Company has scheduled a press conference on Jan 5 prior to the commencement of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with Microsoft Chief Executive, Steve Ballmer’s speech where he is expected to discuss the new tablet-friendly version of Windows though the product will be ready for release until 2012.