We all know that Windows 8 is coming and with it will be a flood of Windows 8 tablets but as with all things Windows there is the concern that OEMs will follow the same path of hardware history and pump out crappy hardware to go with the new operating system.
However Microsoft has come out with a list of minimum requirements that OEMs will have to meet in order to put Windows 8 on their tablets. Of course the Microsoft nay-sayers will have their keyboards all primed to spout the usual anti-Microsoft spiel that they usually do but the fact is that it is about time that Microsoft does put its foot down; as it did with Windows Phone.
To that note here’s some of the requirements that Microsoft will expect on any tablets running their best and newest Windows platform:
- The tablets must have 5 buttons: Power, Rotation Lock, Windows Key, Volume Up, Volume Down. As a side note to this the good old Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination to reboot Windows will be replaced by the Win+Power button combination.
- All tablets with NFC technology; which is not a requirement by Microsoft, must have “touch marks” to show the users exactly where the two gadgets must touch for the NFC option to work.
- Screen resolution must be a minimum of 1366×768 (720p)
- The tablet must have a minimum of 10Gb of free space out of the box
- Camera must be 720p
- Tablet must have both WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
- A Magnetometer
- An Accelerometer
- A Gyrospcope
- USB 2.0
- UEFI firmware
- Direct3D 10 with WDDM 1.2 driver support
- Ambient light sensor
- Speakers
- Any x86 based tablet hardware must resume within 2 seconds
- Installing new driver should not require a reboot
As with Windows Phone it seems that Microsoft is placing the importance of the general user experience at the top of the list, and while you can be guaranteed that there will be an uproar over this it is good to see Microsoft going down this path and hopefully unlike past attempts to do this they will stick to their guns.
via Mobile Syrup
