With Microsoft announcing at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that the company’s next Windows version will run on ARM processors, Horace Dedlu, an ex-Nokia manager, is of the opinion that the “unthinkable” decision will largely leave Microsoft playing catch-up in the rapidly-growing tablet arena.

Dedlu’s observation comes largely in reaction to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s disclosure at the CES that the future version of the company’s popular Windows operating system will run on chips manufactured by the British company ARM.

According to Dedlu, Microsoft has probably been directed towards ARM processors due to the notable changes that indicate the future shifting of power, in the computing market, from PC makers to tablet computer manufacturers.

Noting that the changing computing scenario will eventually mark the culmination of two long monopolies enjoyed by Microsoft and Intel, Dedlu elaborated: “Many of Microsoft's customers chose to use an operating system product from Microsoft's arch-enemy [Google]. Microsoft, in turn, chose to port its operating system to an architecture from Intel's arch-enemy [ARM].”

Some other analysts also second Dedlu’s observation that rather than deciding to make a new OS that runs on ARM chips, it would be more logical for Microsoft to follow Apple’s footsteps and tweak its Windows Phone 7 into a tablet-optimized operating system – more so as the OS already runs ARM chips.