Intel executive backs Windows 8 but still no Windows Phone 8 plans

JERUSALEM: Intel's former PC chief Mooly Eden has backed Microsoft's Windows 8 operating systems to be a hit with the market when it is released in October.

Speaking with V3 at the HTIA Israeli technology conference, Eden, who moved to Israel to manage Intel's operations in the country at the start of the year, said that he believed Windows 8's focus on touch would prove a compelling proposition.

"Windows 8 is a very nice operating system and the major thing that's special is touch. I believe the touch will add some very interesting ways to communicate with PCs," he said.

"We believe it's a great operating system that will run great on Intel architecture."

Intel will be hoping the launch of Windows 8 on 26 October will help sales of PC and ultrabook devices pick up, after it had to lower its earnings estimates on Friday due to slowing device sales.

However, while the firm is throwing its weight behind Windows 8, Intel has no plans to work with Microsoft's mobile operating systems, Windows Phone 8, as yet.

"Today we are working with Android. We would never say never and I don't believe we have any reason to exclude it [Windows Phone 8], it's just a business decision," Eden said.

On the mobile market, Eden admitted Intel has lagged behind Arm for several years, but said the new Atom-based phones being brought to market would change this.

"We are catching up and believe we will catch up. We have phones in France and England and we are ramping up this pace and believe we will be a major player in this category," he said.

Eden also said he believed the firm would be able to develop 14nm and 10nm processor systems in the future, as Intel prepares to unveil its Haswell update at IDF later today.

"As you develop you may face hiccups but we have proved for the last 34 years that Moore's Law is alive. I believe if you look forward five years we have things in the pipeline to guarantee that you can forecast the engineering we will be able to implement," he said.