Get ready for tablets powered by quad-core processors with the release of Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8 operating system next year. Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) has promised that its ARM-based quad-core Snapdragon chips will be appearing in Windows 8 tablets. Operating at clock speeds of between 1.5GHz and 2.5GHz, the S4 processor will include single and dual-core variants. You can read more details about the Snapdragon S4 here.

In an unprecedented move, Microsoft earlier this year announced that the company is departing from its x86-only stance for its flagship desktop OS and will be releasing an ARM version of Windows 8. The Redmond-based software giant has said it will work with Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Nvidia as initial chip partners. Given that Nvidia's own Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor has already been released, in November, it is clear that quad-core mobile processors will be aplenty by the time Windows 8 debuts in the latter half of 2012.

Of course, with quad-core chips being used in less than 10 percent of the PCs at the moment, some analysts are naturally skeptical about the need for quad-core processors for tablets. But while desktop users do not typically see a difference between a quad-core processor and a dual-core one, in the look-alike land of tablets, the number of processor cores may well serve as a key selling point between a high-end tablet and an entry-level one.

Ultimately, the availability of high-performance quad-core mobile processors does place the call by Nvidia's founder and president, Jen-Hsun Huang, for Microsoft to release Windows 8 on ARM tablets first in a new light--the next generation of processors for tablets is already available. 

For more:
-check out this article at PCWorld

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