Back in December, Microsoft and Qualcomm announced that they would be bringing full Windows 10 to ARM processors using x86 app emulation. Originally, all we knew was that these new ARM PCs would be coming in late 2017, but Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf provided a bit more detail, saying that they'll arrive in the fourth quarter.
The feature will be part of the next feature update to Windows 10, codenamed Redstone 3 (RS3). Earlier today, Microsoft announced that RS3 will be arriving this September, so that will be shortly before the new ARM-based hardware shows up.
Mollenkopf said the following:
Our Snapdragon 835 is expanding into Mobile PC designs running Windows 10, which are scheduled to launch in the fourth calendar quarter this year. In the data center, we announced the collaboration with Microsoft and demonstrated Windows Server Running on our 10 nanometer Qualcomm Centriq processors, the first 10 nanometer server processors in the industry.
Microsoft has attempted ARM-based PCs in the past with its Windows RT lineup, and those attempts failed. The big differentiator this time around will be x86 emulation, so these devices shouldn't be limited in any way.
The devices will use Snapdragon 835 chipsets and will have cellular connectivity, so this will be on the high end. The 835 also includes a gigabit LTE modem, so that might be something that's worth looking forward to.
No OEMs have announced any intentions to build an ARM-powered PC, and it might be up to Microsoft to inspire them to do so with its Surface lineup. We'll learn more as we get closer to the fourth quarter.
Source: Seeking Alpha via PC World
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