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from the exclusive-doesn't-always-mean-better dept.
Let your Mac-owning friends boast all they want about the blinding speeds of Apple's new M-series chips, because who needs fast performance when you have freedom of choice? That's one of the benefits of buying a PC—or at least, it's supposed to be.
It turns out Microsoft might have been restricting the hardware powering certain Windows 11 laptops. According to XDA Developers, ARM-based Windows devices have only been powered by one brand of processor because of an exclusive deal between Microsoft and Qualcomm.
Want Windows on ARM laptop without a Qualcomm chip? Sorry, it doesn't exist. At least, not yet. Multiple people familiar with the deal told XDA that the agreement between these tech giants is "set to expire soon," but a specific timeline was not given.
[...] That certainly isn't due to a lack of trying. Microsoft announced Windows on ARM in 2016 with the ability to run 32-bit, x86 apps via an emulator. A few years later, the company launched the Surface Pro X, an ARM-based version of its Surface Pro tablets running on a custom version of the Snapdragon 8cx SoC. It was critically panned for being overpriced and underpowered, along with software compatibility issues. Microsoft addressed that last issue recently by bringing 64-bit, x84 emulation to Windows 11 (but abandoned plans to do so for Windows 10).
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 24 2021, @02:43AM
'tis strange, m$ could just have played the game w/ x86, making a AMD version of windows and a intel version of windows.
methinks it's totally wrong to say "windows for ARM" since "arm" and "x86" is like "vehicle" and "four wheeled, minimum octain 88, four stroke powered engine vehicle".
a " vehicle" being anything from a push-cart, ocean linear, zeppelin or even interstellar probe.
ARM gives the option that one OS will NOT run on all... (like samsungs ARM android will not run on a ARM showme or ARM wowway)
m$ late to game, but prolly kindda pioneered it with a windowd oem license locked to a hardware configuration *shug*.
one wonders, it being a "license", getting one for windows would kindda imply that you can get the (binary) code for whatever cpu arch ... but i guess if you have a license for windows and run it on x86, then ditch it, the same " unlock key" could be used for your new "arm" cpu ...?