Microsoft announced at its 2016 WinHEC conference that Windows 10 will run on ARM processors by breaking Intel's bolt on the platform. While Qualcomm will do the same but there is quite possibility that Snapdragon 835 could support Windows Holographic for Virtual Reality headsets. This isn't the smartphone-focused Windows 10 Mobile or the severely limited Windows RT, either, but the same version of Windows 10 that runs on PCs.
Not only will Windows 10 run on ARM processors, but full desktop apps like Office 2016 and Adobe Photoshop will run on them as well. By various accounts, Windows 10 will first arrive on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor sometime in late 2017.
According to Qualcomm "The Snapdragon 835 is designed to support next-generation entertainment experiences and connected cloud services for premium-tier consumer and enterprise devices, including smartphones, VR/AR head-mounted displays, IP cameras, tablets, mobile PCs and other devices running a variety of OS's including Android and Windows 10 with support for legacy Win32 apps".
ARM support for Windows 10 is important because it makes a wider range of device types possible. ARM processors are usually more power-efficient than Intel's PC processors, and system-on-chip (SoC) solutions like the Snapdragon 835 include cellular communications and LTE data connectivity built-in. Because battery life is improved, smaller devices can be designed that perform well and still last a reasonable time on a single charge.
So far, it’s looking like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 is the first candidate to receive Windows 10 in Snapdragon 835, likely starting with the Redstone 3 release expected in late 2017. Microsoft did show off this version of Windows 10 running on a Snapdragon 820 and performance seemed good for both Windows 10 and a couple of Win32 applications.
It’s likely that Windows 10 support for ARM processors will represent one of the bigger stories in computing in 2017 and could represent the basis for the much-anticipated Surface Phone initiative.
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