Showing posts with label Arm Mobile. Show all posts
Microsoft said yesterday that it is paving the way for easier, faster Windows 10 computing on mobile devices with new support from Qualcomm's Snapdragon ARM processors. The partnership, announced at a Windows hardware engineering event in China, could lead to new mobile products running Windows 10 "as early as next year," according to Microsoft executive Terry Myerson.
The Windows 10-Snapdragon union could pose a threat to Intel's position as the market leader in PC chips, a number of observers have noted. At the same time, however, Microsoft yesterday also announced it was collaborating with Intel to bring new security and artificial-intelligence features to PCs, with a focus on gaming and mixed-reality applications.
The Windows 10-Snapdragon union could pose a threat to Intel's position as the market leader in PC chips, a number of observers have noted. At the same time, however, Microsoft yesterday also announced it was collaborating with Intel to bring new security and artificial-intelligence features to PCs, with a focus on gaming and mixed-reality applications.
Together,
developments like these could signal that significant shifts in the
microprocessor market are on the horizon. They could also enable a second
chance for Microsoft to bring the full Windows experience to mobile devices, an
effort the company failed to achieve with its previous Window RT mobile
operating system.
Targeting
Windows Users on the Go
In
a blog post about several announcements made yesterday in China, Myerson -- who
is executive vice president for Microsoft's Windows and Devices Group -- said
the new Snapdragon-powered collaboration with Qualcomm is aimed at meeting
"our customers' growing needs to create on the go."
"For
the first time ever, our customers will be able to experience the Windows they
know with all the apps, peripherals, and enterprise Relevant Products/Services
capabilities they require, on a truly mobile, power efficient, always-connected
cellular PC," Myerson said. "With Windows 10 on cellular PCs, we will
help everyone make the most of the air around them."
By
using Qualcomm's ARM chips instead of Intel's X86-based processors, Microsoft
hopes to enable a new generation of Windows 10-native mobile devices like
tablets and laptops. Traditionally limited to low-power applications, ARM chips
are becoming increasingly powerful and bring the added advantages of support
for longer battery life and cellular-based, always-on connectivity.
Second
Chance for Microsoft
Thanks
to "compatibility with the Windows 10 ecosystem, the Qualcomm Snapdragon
platform is expected to support mobility to cloud computing and redefine how
people will use their compute devices," Qualcomm executive vice president
Cristiano Amon said yesterday in a press announcement.
Myerson
noted that the partnership will enable Microsoft's hardware partners to
"build a range of new Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Windows 10 PCs that run
x86 Win32 and universal Windows apps, including Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft
Office and popular Windows games."
Microsoft
had previously targeted the mobile computing market with ARM-based devices
running Windows RT, which launched in late 2012. However, that OS failed to
gain traction among consumers, and production of Windows RT-based devices like
the Surface 2 and Lumia 2520 tablets came to an end in early 2015.
Meanwhile,
a new collaboration between Microsoft and Intel called Project Evo will aim to
"further push the boundaries of personal computing" with smarter
voice-machine communication, new virtual and mixed-reality applications, better
gaming and "true always-connected computing," according to an
editorial penned by Navin Shenoy, senior vice president and general manager of
Intel's Client Computing Group.
"The
work we are doing will help drive innovation in other areas too, from
hardware-enhanced single- and multi-factor authentication powered by Windows
Hello and Intel Authenticate for enhanced PC security to an even greater focus
on connectivity -- starting today with LTE," Shenoy wrote. "This
includes offering a wide range of PC form factors and price points that give
people choice in mobility, whether they are carrying an ultra-thin and light
notebook or a cool 2 in 1."
Microsoft has been already in the news for the latest upcoming devices that are reported to be waiting in the pipeline to be released once 2017 sets in. And it’s back in the headline yet again but this time for a completely different reason. It is reported that Microsoft will be tying up with Qualcomm to enable the availability of Windows 10 desktops apps on ARM chipsets.
The news has come in that Windows 10 will be able to support ARM chipsets and the announcement has been made by the officials of both Microsoft and Qualcomm. This means that the desktop windows app will be available on the mobile devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. And such compatible devices might come out “as early as next year” as the company officials have suggested.
It is also reported that the new Windows 10 which is going to support ARM chipsets from Qualcomm will be able to run desktop x86 Win32 apps besides the Universal Windows apps. This will surely make things much better particularly after the discontinuation of the Windows RT platform which did not feature any desktop apps. But it remains to be seen how well the apps perform because it is expected that the apps will still run better on the x86 chipsets made by Intel.
However, the latest developments have put under the scrutiny the relationship between Microsoft and Intel which many believe that might just have fallen out. But Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of Microsoft, absolutely dismissed such possibilities. He has been quoted telling The Verge, “We’re working closer with Intel than we ever have before. The collaboration is better than ever before. It’s just the case where Qualcomm does have these chips with integrated connectivity and better idle power performance which enables new devices to get built.” Thus the speculations that the collaboration between Microsoft and Intel might come to an end in distant future should die down for the time being.
Regarding the availability of the PCs which would be coming out after such collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm, it is speculated that it might be very early in 2017. Qualcomm has been quoted saying that the Windows 10 based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are “expected to be available as early as next year.” so the tech enthusiasts across the world would be eager to watch out how these new devices perform when they are brought out in the market.
A video demonstrating Windows 10 and Adobe Photoshop running on an ARM-based device is reproduced below, with Qualcomm and Microsoft promising to launch the first units some time next year.
