Windows for ARM processors is coming; but is it 7, 8, or something else?

Microsoft is to announce a new version of Windows designed to run on ARM processors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. It is not yet known whether this will simply be a port of Windows 7 to the ARM architecture, or an entirely new species of Windows OS.

ARM chips, due to their lower power consumption and smaller footprints, are used in almost every mobile phone and tablet on the market, including the iPad. With Windows Phone 7 (which runs on ARM chips) already making inroads into the smartphone market, Microsoft is now turning its eye to the tablet pie. An ARM build of Windows 7 would be nice, but surely too cumbersome for low-powered tablets.

To be honest, we have no idea what Microsoft will demonstrate at CES in January. A cut-down version of Windows 7 that can booted from firmware would be the most obvious candidate, but at the same time, it could easily be a tablet version of Windows Phone 7 (Windows CE). Either way, one thing's for sure: it will have to be awesome.

Tags: ARM, CES, microsoft, mobile, rumor, windows, windows 7, windows 8, windows phone 7, windows tablet, Windows7, Windows8, WindowsPhone7, WindowsTablet, wp7