Up until a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft required that all tablets made specifically to run Windows 8 have a minimum display resolution of 1366×768. This was because Microsoft also made 1366×768 as the minimum for Windows 8 Modern apps to run while in snap view mode.
A few days ago, it was discovered that the leaked build of Windows Blue actually lowered that app snap view minimum resolution down to 1024×768. As it turns out, Microsoft recently, and quietly, announced that Windows 8 tablets can now be made with a 1024×768 resolution screen, down from the previous requirement of a 1366×768 resolution.
The change is thought to be a sign that Windows 8 devices are about to arrive with mini sized screens (and prices?) to compete head on with the likes of the Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire and Apple iPad mini and other successful devices that have with 7- and 8-inch displays.
One of the headline multitasking features of the currently shipping version of Windows 8, snapping, won’t work at this lower res. However, a leaked build of Windows Blue has revealed that Microsoft is changing its Snap View support to let 1024 x 768 users take advantage of a 50 / 50 Snap View. The changes are all part of improved support for 7- and 8-inch form factors and Microsoft’s official guidance notes that “partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”
The change was announced on Microsoft’s Windows Certification Newsletter earlier in March. In making the change, Microsoft stated that while their were not encouraging PC OEMs to offer a lower resolution for their Windows 8 tablet products, they admitted, “We understand that partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”
[Neowin, ZDNet]
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