Acer criticizes Windows 8 on ARM
updated 09:00 pm EDT, Mon June 4, 2012
Acer sticking with Intel for right now
A major manufacturer and Windows partner has criticized Mirosoft's new mobile-oriented OS variant WindowsRT, otherwise known as Windows-on-ARM. The option is meant to bring Microsoft's operating system to the low-powered processors that power many of the most popular mobile devices, but Acer has leveled complaints about Windows-on-ARM, and ARM-processor models are missing from the manufacturer's Windows 8 product line. DailyTech reports that the computer maker is simply dissatisfied with the possibilities of Microsoft's ARM offering, and will not be supporting it from the hardware end.
Acer chairman Zhentang Wang told reporters at Computex 2012 today that Acer engineers had told him that a move toward ARM 64-bit would result in performance hits for Acer devices. Acer remains committed to producing Windows 8 devices, but the company will rely on Intel processors for the foreseeable future.
The increasing popularity of low-power chipsets of the sort seen in tablets, ultrabooks, and other portable devices has led to Acer, as with other manufacturers, increasing its offerings in this sector. Acer has been showing off slim Windows 8 devices powered by Intel's Ivy Bridge line of processors. It remains to be seen, though, how Acer's offerings -- typically priced above $1,000 -- will fare against those of competitors like Hewlett-Packard, which offer comparable devices at around $600.
