Windows RT tried, and failed, to deliver a full-fledged Windows environment on top of anaemic ARM microprocessors. Now, Microsoft is trying again, with two major improvements: compatibility with the mainstream Win32 apps that PC users have enjoyed for years, and a new generation of powerful ARM chips to run them.
At its Windows Hardware Engineering (WinHEC) conference in Shenzhen, China, Microsoft said that it has partnered with Qualcomm to enable new, low-cost PCs. These are intended to replace Windows tablets built around Intel’s Atom, a chip the company’s essentially discontinued.
Traditional Windows apps can only run on X86 chips, not ARM thus, the failed RT. To get around this, Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to emulate X86 instructions, the companies said.
Though the PC may be in decline, two growth…