It’s no secret that consumers have been slow to warm up to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, the latter of which was released this past October. Could the sagging adoption numbers and legions of people who are clinging to Windows XP and Windows 7 be pacified by a machine that runs Windows 8.1 but is capable of supporting Android apps? It sounds like we’ll soon find out.
You might hear the term “PC Plus” quite a bit during CES 2014, which will begin on January 7. PC Plus refers to the concept of a Windows 8.1 machine that also runs Android apps. We’re talking about laptops here, not tablets. Aside from that (big) detail, this is not exactly a new idea.
Bluestacks, an Android emulator for Windows and Mac OS X, is able to perform the task of running Android apps on traditional desktop operating systems. While Blackstacks simply ran as a separate program within Windows and OS X, the relationship between Windows 8.1 and Android apps could work differently with PC Plus, according to Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
“There are three [possible] implementations, including dual-boot, which would be a fast-switch mode where you press a button and within seconds you’re in Android,” Moore told Computer World. Another approach includes the use of a virtual machine, though software emulation is a possibility as well.
If the PC Plus Windows 8.1/Android concept takes off, it’ll be interesting to see what this does for Windows 8.1 adoption numbers down the line.
What impact do you think integrating Android apps with Windows 8.1 will have? Sound off in the comments below.
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