Neowin has learned a lot about Windows 8 on tablets these past few days – a market that Microsoft was late to join. However today they revealed a glimpse of what we can expect and it appears the wait may have been worth it.
In what appears to be an unexpected turn of events, three insiders with knowledge of the route that the Windows tablet is going down, have said that Microsoft have asked chipmakers who want to use Windows 8 in their tablets, are asked to work with a single computer manufacturer.
By placing such a restriction on the chipmakers, it would allow the tablets to be released to the market quicker as it would give Microsoft more control over its partners – therefore speeding the release dates up. Chipmakers who accept, would be given incentives, a restriction which essentially forces the chipmakers to use the same design.
The chipmakers are allowed to refuse the program and use their own designs, although it appears Microsoft are aiming to create a product that is instantly recognizable, much like the iPad.
In an email statement the company said “Microsoft is still in the development process on the next version of Windows, continuing the engineering work with our silicon partners as part of the technology preview we talked about in January. We continue to talk regularly with hardware partners around the world as part of our development process.”