Microsoft: Windows on Arm PCs are better than the latest Apple MacBook M3 Air
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Microsoft is placing a big bet on the future of Windows on Arm laptops, claiming that upcoming devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processors will outperform Apple’s M3 MacBook Air.
This news comes after years of challenges for Windows on Arm, particularly in performance and app compatibility. However, Microsoft believes the Snapdragon X Elite is the turning point they’ve been waiting for.
ARM architecture is a type of design for computer processors, specifically a family of instruction set architectures (ISAs) known as ARM (Advanced RISC Machines). ARM processors are known for their:
- Low power consumption
- Smaller size: This allows for compact device designs.
- High performance
The company plans to showcase the capabilities of these new Windows AI PCs through demonstrations showing faster CPU performance, AI acceleration, and even app emulation compared to the M3 MacBook Air. Notably, Microsoft claims its emulation surpasses Apple’s Rosetta 2 technology, which allows Intel-based apps to run on Apple Silicon Macs.
App emulation has been a big hurdle for Windows on Arm, but Microsoft introduced x64 emulation for Windows 11 two years ago. This provides a stopgap solution until native ARM64 versions of applications become more widespread. Google recently released an ARM64 version of Chrome for these upcoming Windows on Arm devices.
Earlier last month, Microsoft announced the global expansion of their Arm Advisory Service, which can assist developers in building optimized apps for Windows on Arm devices.
If Microsoft’s confidence holds, this could mark a great shift in the laptop landscape, offering consumers a compelling alternative to Apple’s M-powered MacBooks.
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