Can Intel's Haswell Kill Windows RT?

By Evan Niu, CFA – Apr 18, 2013 at 8:00PM

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If Intel can live up to its big claims regarding Haswell's power efficiency improvements, then there'd be no reason for Microsoft to continue pursuing Windows RT. The next-generation chip could signal the end of Windows on ARM.

This year, Intel (INTC -2.40%) will launch its Haswell chips. One of the most important performance improvements of Haswell will be power efficiency and battery life. Meanwhile, Microsoft (MSFT -1.27%) created Windows RT to run on ARM-based (ARMH) chips for better battery life. Microsoft's Surface RT runs an NVIDIA (NVDA -10.01%) Tegra processor, and has better battery life than the Surface Pro, which sports an Intel chip.

If Haswell can live up to Intel's claims about the battery life improvements, there simply won't be a reason to have Windows RT around any more. Unifying around Windows 8 would benefit both Microsoft and Intel, while removing consumer confusion.

In the video below, Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, outlines how Haswell could signal the end of Windows RT.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Intel and NVIDIA. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intel and Microsoft. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.