Like I said in another thread, I would like the preview and beta versions to be x86 capable (just so I can try it out on a junker or on a VM). I am PERFECTLY fine with the RTM version being x64 only, because I'll buy another PC for it.
Is this such a big deal? I mean, if people still use 32-bit hardware, they'll most likely run XP anyway. *shrug*
There is no such thing as a general purpose 128 bit CPU. They don't exist, nor are there even any publicly shown prototypes for them. The only 128 bit (or greater) processing units you'll see are math, SSE, GPU/APU, DSP, etc... units. These are all special purpose.
You don't even find 128 bit CPU's in the super computer world. The closes thing you'll find is that the AS/400 has a "virtual" 128 bit addressing system, which is translated down to 64 bit.
We are so far from exhausting the 64 bit address space that 128 bit CPU's are still in the dream stage. General purpose CPU's count their "bitness" by their address range.. or how much memory they address. Special purpose processors tend to count their "bitness" by the largest piece of data they can work with. So even these general/special purpose comparisons are flawed.
The problem with 64 bit only is that it leaves out a LOT of Windows 8 and 8.1 tablets that run Atom processors in the dust. Yes, they do make 32 bit Intel Atom based tablets, the Dell Venue Pro is one example, the ASUS T100 Transformer is another. They may be quad-core SoCs, but they're 32 bit systems and have only a couple gigs of RAM. It's not just the xp era machines that will be left out, a ton of newer tablets will be too.
So either they go full on 64 bit and leave quite a few hanging for a newer PC, or they'll do 64 bit upgrading only with those devices having their own 32 bit version of Windows, or this rumor is posh and there will be 32 and 64 bit versions.
Even the Technical Preview has 32 bit versions so I say this rumor is posh.
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