If there is one factor that has really hurt the third-party prospects of Windows on ARM, it is the fact that hardware makers are increasingly shifting their attention towards Intel Atom chips.
The Atom Bay Trail platform in particular is very lucrative for Windows device makers that are planning to bring affordable and portable devices powered by what they call the full version of Windows 8. Intel’s latest solution supports both x86 at low power requirements, after all.
And for many this is a match made in heaven — even if some obvious tradeoffs have to be made.
But in any case, Intel has found some level of success with its Bay Trial platform, and the company has even bigger plans for 2014. Next year, the chip giant is planning to unveil even cheaper Bay Trail processors designed for tablets, according to this little report here.
Intel’s Atom Bay Trial platform supports both Windows and Android, and the company has made it no secret that it wants to see devices in and around the $99 mark.
Windows based tablet makers, on the other hand, are more than happy to let things slide at somewhere around $249 and above — at least, until the reported Surface Mini comes barging through the gates.
At that time we may see even more affordable slates make their way to the market, around Q2 2014.
