Redmond’s decision to support ARM processors was cause of much celebration when the company first announced the news, but since then the results have been somewhat lukewarm.
A lot of it really boils down to three things — high prices of the devices when compared to competing platforms in the market, restrained performance, and lack of apps.
While the apps issue looks to be sorting itself out, the performance factor will also improve when ARM unleashes its 64-bit architecture later this year. The pricing bit is something that Microsoft (along with its hardware partners) is really keen to address, as it tries to bring affordable tablets to the market.
Needless to say, Microsoft still believes and bets on its ARM strategy.
In fact, Tami Reller, the head of the Windows division actually considers it a necessity. Speaking at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, she talked specifically about Microsoft and ARM related devices, saying that the company needs the flexibility that the ARM platform offers.
The traditional x86 and x64 platforms will remain in the spotlight, but according to Tami, Microsoft is committed to the platform — or in other words, Windows RT is in it for the long haul.
This will be music to the ears of the fans of the Windows RT.
Microsoft remains adamant that it has no plans to abandon the platform at this time. The software titan is currently preparing Windows RT 8.1, part of its Blue initiative, and there is a fair chance that it will share a lot of features with Windows 8.1.
