Qualcomm has announced that Windows 10 laptops running on its Snapdragon 835 chipset won’t be arriving until late-2017.
Microsoft revealed last year that it would start supporting ARM processors with Windows desktop apps, but it seems we’ve still got a while to wait until such devices arrive.
The company said it would be including an emulator in future versions of Windows 10 that would allow the operating system to support ARM chips – with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs said to be the focus.
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The first devices to offer such support were confirmed as laptops, and while many had hoped to see these laptops arriving soon, Qualcomm’s announcement has poured cold water on such hopes.
Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said during the firm’s latest investor call: “Our Snapdragon 835 is expanding into Mobile PC designs running Windows 10, which are scheduled to launch in the fourth calendar quarter this year.”
The Verge is reporting that Lenovo has been testing its own ARM-based Windows 10 laptop, but other than that, details on which companies will be producing the machines are sparse.
When the devices do start arriving, it will be the first time we see laptops running Windows 10 that aren’t powered by either Intel or AMD processors.
They will likely be thin and lightweight and, as Qualcomm and Microsoft are referring to them as cellular PCs, will offer cellular connectivity like a smartphone.
When the Qualcomm/Microsoft partnership was announced, Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft, Terry Myerson, said the resulting products would be “a range of thin, light, power-efficient and always-connected devices.”
Let us know what you make of the news in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
