4 ms·
They can't, Win8 ARM devices will have a locked bootloader according to the OEM recommandations sent by Microsoft.
by delroth 14y ago
They can't, Win8 ARM devices will have a locked bootloader according to the OEM recommandations sent by Microsoft.
- rwmj 14y agoDo "Win8 ARM devices" actually exist? Maybe there are a handful of them, but there are a huge number of ARM devices available right now to buy that don't have locked bootloaders (or are trivially breakable like most Android devices). Who cares about what Microsoft are doing in an already overcrowded market, bringing along a new OS that has no installed application base? There's no reason to imagine that Win8/ARM is going to become an important platform, just like WinNT/PowerPC and Alpha never went anywhere.
- groovy2shoes 14y agoThey don't really exist yet (in the general availability sense of existence), because no Win8 device really exists yet (Win8 hasn't gone gold). The point is that they will exist, and if manufacturers plan on supporting Win8, they'll have to put the bootloader locks on. Once a Win8 device, always a Win8 device. (Though I'm not convinced at this point that people won't be able to hack their ways around it).
- rst 14y agoWin8 itself doesn't exist as a product yet, though there are prototypes and previews. Likewise for prototype hardware. But specs and requirements for both are now very firm, and comment on those (which is what we have here) is completely legit.
- radicalbyte 14y agoBecause it sets a very worrying president for the future of computing. This Apple like level of control is the holy grail for monopolists like Microsoft. They have no market share. Sure, not yet Don't underestimate just how powerful a draw of having Office BUNLED with the OS will have. It's basically Mocrosoft using their dominant market position in Business software to buy market share for their new OSes. My personal view : in three years time Microsoft will be the dominant player in the tablet market, closely followed by Apple. In 5 years, they'll have 80% of the market. And Office will no longer be bundled.
- dlikhten 14y agoI must disagree. If history is any indicator, MS will fuck it up big time. TBH I do hope they succeed, it will be good for Apple to have REAL competition. I think of Windows on ARM as "iMS" or the "WinPad"
- inoop 14y agoWindows phone 8 will have the same kernel as Win8/ARM, so basically they're merging their mobile and desktop OSs. This will make it possible, among other things, to run a full desktop on your phone (i.e. via a dock with separate monitor/keyboard/mouse).
- benologist 14y agoAre locked devices suddenly something that doesn't get hacked the next day?
- inoop 14y agoYou mean like the PS3?