Friday 29 March 2013

Windows 8 hardware requirements change: Hint at 7" tablets!

   Microsoft have quietly made some amendments to the hardware requirements for their Windows 8 operating system! The changes allow devices with a resolution of 1024 x 768 to rock Windows, whereas previously the lowest resolution was 1366 x 768.

   There's a few reasons for this change, but the key one is probably that this resolution is suited to 7" tablets. The iPad Mini uses this resolution and along with a lower resolution and a smaller screen comes a lower price. This could be key to Microsoft: we've already seen how well the iPad Mini is selling compared to its larger and pricier brother and we only have to look at how popular Amazon's Kindle Fire's are to realise that consumers don't want to spend a shed load o money on their tablets all the time!

   Unfortunately, the new guidelines so make a difference to one bit of functionality. If you have a device with a screen with that resolution then you will not have the option to snap your open windows to either side of the screen, so you can only really use one app at a time.

   Microsoft added that :
"This doesn't imply we're encouraging partners to regularly use a lower screen resolution. In fact, we see customers embracing the higher resolution screens that make a great Windows experience. We understand that partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful."
Via PocketLint and HotHardware.

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