Splitting the operation of the chip into hardware and software components has other advantages.

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That robust figure implies that consumers are reaching for OS upgrades on existing machines, a generally successful operation, rather than unnecessarily spending more for a hardware refresh.

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As part of a co-operation agreement with Nokia, Microsoft is using the Finnish company as its hardware-maker of reference.

ECONOMIST: The battle in the mobile industry takes an unexpected turn

Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on hardware and software configurations.

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