slacker (s@lack.er) on 9/17/09 wrote:

>
>I personally refuse to use Windows whenever I can find a workable alternative,
>but I don't think things look good for ARM netbooks. They aren't being treated as
>an isolated platform like a mobile phone (where there's no expectation that your
>desktop software will run on it). They're being treated as miniature laptops, and
>the Wintel (or Win/x86) goliath is in control.

What about GoogleOS and Apple? Both will try to capitalize on the ARM wave and both are capable of creating compeling products. I guess that Apple's new tablet is already Tegra-based?

Could Google/Apple (mostly Google, of course) make ARM netbooks stick (perhaps even gain momentum) and force Microsoft's hand, making them release WinNT for ARM after some time? (if Intel/Microsoft fail to kill the ARM wave, of course).

Of course that NT/x86 apps would not run on NT/ARM and compatibility is Microsoft's biggest asset, but if ARM gain momentum thanks to Linux/Google/Apple/whatever and Intel/MS fail to kill it, then the earlier that Microsoft do it the better for them, since it would be harder to extend NT's dominance to ARM later on if they wait too much.

In other words, since Microsoft has the upper hand in the Wintel duopoly (as shown with AMD64), wouldn't it make sense to disperse their eggs between two baskets instead of just one? Specially if we live in times when half of Moore's law is gone and even embedded CPUs are enough for the average user's needs (ie, commoditization), and let's not forget the recession, so the cheaper the better.

rcf