Will Windows on ARM block custom business apps?
The Ultimate Beer Ranger application written by Sonoma Partners for Ft. Collins, Colo., beer maker New Belgium Brewing points up a problem with Windows 8 that needs to be addressed before long: under what circumstances can such applications run on Windows on ARM devices?
The CRM app was written with tablets in mind because the plan is for the brewery’s sales force to carry them around as they visit bars and suppliers. The tablets are the form factor that will work best, and ARM devices would be particularly apt because they offer longer battery life – perfect for road warriors.
RELATED: Windows 8 tablets may reject Firefox, Chrome, Safari
TEST YOURSELF: The Windows 8 Quiz
Microsoft has a whole separate set of rules for Windows 8 on ARM (WOA) that includes limiting the applications that run on it to those that come through Windows Store.
That’s not attractive to developers of customer business apps like Ultimate Beer Ranger because it could leave their applications open to public scrutiny, and these apps represent potential competitive advantages for the customers that order them.
It seems like a problem that could be solved relatively simply if Microsoft lays down some reasonable terms. If its intent is to keep these devices secure and running quickly by making sure applications written for them follow certain guidelines, they should be spelled out.
If Microsoft wants to vet applications before they are allowed in the machines, so be it. A secure, fast machine is a good thing.
But security is also a worry of developers and their clients. If their apps are turned over to Microsoft, who’s to say they won’t fall into the wrong hands due to some leak or attack? It opens up an attack surface that businesses and their apps developers would rather do without.
Microsoft has said nothing about this so far, but must at some point. Jim Steger, a principal with Sonoma Partners worked closely with Microsoft in developing Ultimate Beer Ranger and has voiced his concerns, and he expects them to be addressed. There’s time; Windows 8 isn’t due out until fall and WOA isn’t expected until sometime next year.
Tablets that are not based on ARM would have no such restrictions and could be a fallback, but the extended battery life and great variety of sizes of tablets make ARM a more flelxible option
