What Editions of Windows Should Intel Develop New CPUs for?

September 19, 2016 John Obeto

With all the seemingly serious ‘news’ excoriating Intel for limiting future CPU revisions to the only the current version of Windows and better, I feel compelled to ask my audience what editions of Windows Intel should develop new central processing units (CPUs) for?

Should Intel develop new chips for Windows 8?

Or Windows 7?

Or Windows Vista?

Or Windows XP

I’m serious.

Should Intel spend billions of dollars developing new chips for obsolete operating systems?

I mean, it’s the egalitarian thing to do, isn’t it?

It also stops evil Microsoft from holding unto an illegal global monopoly in desktop operating systems, right?

Man, doesn’t that bullshit sound so cathartic?

But, that’s just what it is, bullshit!

Creating new CPUs for old, obsolete operating systems is a ridiculous prospect.

However, since the demise of COMDEX, those excellent technology and PC magazines from the days of yore, and the rise of the new-fangled bullshitters known as the ‘tech media’, such linkbaiting BS has become the norm.

Even if it is linkbait, could it be valid?

Let’s go to the tape now, shall we? Counting down from the current shipping version of the Windows client, Windows 10?

To wit:

Windows 10 Current. EOL: October 2020
Windows 8. Obsolete EOL: January 2016
Windows 7 Obsolete EOL: April 2013
Windows Vista Obsolete EOL: April 2010
Windows XP Obsolete EOL: April 2014

From the above, Microsoft’s roadmap with regards to Windows versions are.

If you were Brian Krzanich and Intel, which one (or more) of those editions of Windows would you develop for?

Exactly!

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