Hewlett-Packard To Shun ARM At Debut Of Microsoft Windows 8
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) said it will hold off selling tablets based on ARM Holdings Plc technology when the next version of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)'s Windows operating system debuts later this year.
Context & Ripple Effects
HP arrives at this decision after two years of whiplash on tablets: it killed its Windows 7 tablet project back in 2010 and spurned Android the same year, before restarting tablet manufacturing in May 2012 around an x86 design. A rough render of that x86 Windows 8 tablet surfaced in April, so today's announcement formalizes what the supply chain already suggested.
The backdrop is Microsoft's December 2010 move to build a version of Windows for ARM chips — the first time the OS would run on phone-class silicon. By sitting out the ARM variant at launch, HP becomes the notable Wintel holdout while rivals line up ARM hardware for the debut.
First-order effects
- HP's Windows 8 tablet lineup will be x86-only at launch, keeping it tied to Intel/AMD silicon and full desktop application compatibility rather than the ARM variant's constrained app model.
- Microsoft loses one of the largest PC OEMs from its ARM launch roster, thinning the partner bench for the highest-profile Windows release in years.
Second-order effects
- Rival OEMs committing ARM hardware to the Windows 8 launch now carry the differentiation burden alone — their ARM devices must prove battery-life and form-factor wins against HP's compatible-by-default x86 machines.
- Intel and AMD gain a flagship customer anchoring the x86 side of the tablet market just as ARM vendors push into it, reinforcing the incumbents' pricing position in notebook-derived designs.
Third-order effects
- If ARM Windows struggles to find buyers at launch, the episode cements a two-track Windows ecosystem where OEMs treat ARM as an optional experiment rather than a default roadmap item — and HP's wait-and-see posture becomes the template other manufacturers cite.
- Chip-architecture choice turns into a visible strategic differentiator among PC makers, with each OEM's ARM-or-x86 stance signaling which trade-off — compatibility versus power efficiency — it thinks tablet buyers actually value.
The trend: Windows-on-ARM is entering the market as a parallel track rather than a replacement, with major OEMs like HP hedging by leading with x86 and letting rivals test consumer appetite for ARM first.