Cheap Imitation: The Risk of Windows on ARM

It is said disappointment comes wrapped in lengthy explanation and it doesn't get much lengthier than the 8 627 words it took Windows Division president Steven Sinofsky to finally detail 'Windows 8 on ARM'. 'WOA' may sound like a line from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, but we were far from wowed - in fact we can summarise Sinofsky's 8,627 words in just two: cheap imitation.

Here is what we learned:

1. WOA will have a desktop, albeit one that only runs Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) and opens Explorer.
2. WOA will not support virtualisation so no existing x86/x64 programs will ever run on it
3. WOA programmes must be Metro-style apps, only available through the Windows Store
4. WOA's version of Internet Explorer will not support Flash
5. WOA will be launched at roughly the same time as the x86/x64 version of Windows 8 (Q4 2012), but will not match the latter's 29 February public beta.

In short: it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but isn't really a duck. And for the masses who struggle to tell you what version of Windows they currently run, it is a recipe for disaster. Sceptical? Jump forward 12 months and try explaining points 1-4 to any relative when they ask you what to buy. Worse still run through the conversation you'll have with friends and relatives who have already bought a WOA device and want to know how they go about installing their favourite programs. The Chinese are famous for producing underwhelming knock-offs of long established, trusted brands… it is rarely done by the brand owner itself.

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Tags: analysis | opinion