Windows 10 on ARM has been somewhat of a holy grail for Microsoft. The company tried its hard with Windows RT, but it was generally considered a failure. However, a collaboration with Qualcomm has finally managed to hit the sweet spot, the first full consumer processor being the Snapdragon 835.
At the World Mobile Congress yesterday, Qualcomm Senior Vice President Keith Kressin provided vital detail about the company’s plans. The main goal, he says, is to “get something credible out”.
Kressin thinks it’s vital consumers to see that it’s different to RT – a full version of Windows 10, rather than a branch.
Cellular PCs
Much of that future lies in Qualcomm’s vision of “cellular PCs”. The concept was discussed by Microsoft and the company last year – a hybrid of laptop and mobile phones. These devices will debut the Windows 10 ARM functionality later this year.
However, the new technology doesn’t necessarily mean a huge price tag. According to Kressin, they will sit in a middle ground between low-cost and expensive.
“It’ll start, and you’ll see more headed into 2018 and 2019,” he said. “It’s a patient move into the market, and establishing a new value proposition.”
Of course, the Snapdragon 835 will also be coming to high-end smartphones, and will likely be expensive there. The bigger question is integration with Windows Holographic headsets. Qualcomm has already shown Google Daydream headsets using the hardware at MWC.
Unfortunately, there are no solid plans just yet. The decision is ultimately down to Microsoft.
“There’s nothing that would prohibit it from a hardware standpoint. I just think it’s a function of time,” Kressin said.
