AMD says Hondo processor will only support Windows 8

AMD has said that its upcoming Hondo processor will only be in Windows 8 tablets at launch.

Speaking to The Inquirer, Steve Belt, corporate VP of ultra low power products at AMD, said,

This is a Windows 8 product, only. We're not doing Android on this platform, at least not now. [...] It is a conscious decision not to go after Android. We think the Windows 8 space has a lot of opportunity, there's plenty of TAM [total addressable market] there for us to go at. So we don't need to spread ourselves into other markets, we think Windows 8 is a great place to start. Down the road we may look at Android, right now we're focused on Windows 8.

So if you wanted to dual boot Android on a Windows 8 tablet you will have to avoid one with AMD's Hondo. This may be a disappointment to some, as ASUS' 18.4-inch desktop, the Transformer AiO, has shown the potential benefits of running both operating systems. While the device boots into Windows 8, it can transition into Android after the simple press of a button. The device can also be used as an all-one, or as a wireless touch screen display / ridiculously sized tablet.

AMD's Hondo chip has two cores and integrated Radeon graphics. It's built to provide a lower power as well as a lower cost alternative to other Windows RT device chips. The Hondo is AMD's first generation ultra-low power APU and is expected to launch this quarter.

Source: The Inquirer Images via: Microsoft, ASUS