Quote:

nVidia's Denver is one buzz.

Microsoft supporting ARM is another buzz.

Two separate buzz'es, little to do with each other, but that together put solid strength and momentum behind ARM's future evolution.

In their Press Release (see link above), Microsoft clearly focus on SoC's; the high end Denver development of nVidia isn't even mentioned! Instead the focus is on Tegra, in stores since long time, along with CPU's from other manufacturers. SoC's is what MS are interested in. The very title of the PR is "Microsoft Announces Support of System on a Chip Architectures From Intel, AMD, and ARM for Next Version of Windows".

ARM is mentioned as a company (the one owning and controlling the architecture that everyone is using under license), and then the examples of CPU manufacturers are mentioned in plural: "LAS VEGAS — Jan. 5, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today announced at 2011 International CES that the next version of Windows will support System on a Chip (SoC) architectures, including ARM-based systems from partners NVIDIA Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc."

I think this has been coming for a long time now. Even long before Windows 7 was released there were heavy rumors floating around that MS would release it for ARM as well. Even though they obviously waited, it seems there were some truth behind the rumors nevertheless; though they didn't release it, they kept it under development. That's why they can demonstrate it today on existing ARM machines:

"At today’s announcement, Microsoft demonstrated the next version of Windows running on new SoC platforms from ... NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments on ARM architecture."

So it *already* runs on current and existing ARM CPU's from more than one manufacturer, and not just in a simple "experimental boot-up proof of technology" or such, but *really* supported:

"The technology demonstration included Windows client support across a range of scenarios, such as hardware-accelerated graphics and media playback, hardware-accelerated Web browsing with the latest Microsoft Internet Explorer, USB device support, printing and other features customers have come to expect from their computing experience. Microsoft Office running natively on ARM was also shown as a demonstration of the potential of Windows platform capabilities on ARM architecture."

Heck, look for yourself in this cool video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKc_XGuvNIk


Microsoft already has the high-end x86 desktop and workstation markets cornered, and that market isn't going anywhere. That's also where all the *existing applications* are. This isn't about that, it's about Microsoft has no access to the light-weight ultra mobile market, with low cost, powerful products that doesn't dry out the battery in very few hours. The Atom didn't do it. Microsoft has been standing by to see Apple release their iPad built around their own A4 ARM CPU, which has been enormously popular and dominated this holiday's sales. I have always said that the ARM would prove to scale upwards much easier than the x86 would scale downwards. Microsoft hasn't even been on the same race track, they have been locked out. Now this is about to change. Sure they will continue supporting new SoC developments Intel. But now also AMD and ARM, and I think there is a good reason for that, and a good decision!