Qualcomm says they want Windows 10 on ARM to be "credible"

Speaking to PCWorld, Keith Kressin, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, said they had big plans for Windows 10 on ARM.

“The goal is to get something credible out, show people why it’s different from RT. Show that it’s Windows 10—there isn’t a second version of Windows 10,” Kressin said.

Unlike Windows RT, the connected PCs would be able to run x86 apps via emulation.

Kressin said the reception to the joint announcement between Microsoft and Qualcomm has been positive, and the resulting product would offer long battery life and be always connected.

Powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 835 processor, and featuring the latest technologies like gigabit LTE and Bluetooth 5, unfortunately they would not be super low-cost, with Kressin saying the cellular PCs will be priced at a “sweet spot.”

The first Windows 10 devices powered by ARM will start arriving in 2017, as part of a slow roll-out.

“It’ll start, and you’ll see more headed into 2018 and 2019. It’s a patient move into the market, and establishing a new value proposition,” Kressin said.

Kressin also hoped that their Snapdragon 835 processor would end up in Windows Holographic headsets, though there were no solid plans for this yet.

“There’s nothing that would prohibit it from a hardware standpoint. I just think it’s a function of time,” Kressin said.

Read more about Microsoft’s Windows 10 on ARM plans here.