Microsoft is developing a version of Windows 10 that will run on systems using Qualcomm chips. Microsoft is said to be keen to get the operating system onto mobile devices that have the lower power consumption and integrated comms that Qualcomm typically enjoys.
The plan is to use an emulator layer, leaving the core software the same and allowing applications such as Office or Photoshop to run in the way they would on a regular PC. Although an emulator layer has a performance hit, the view is that these days there is enough power to spare some without the user being inconvenienced.
Qualcomm said that PCs based on the architecture would be available in 2017.
Analyst Comment
Microsoft previously tried to support the ARM architecture with Windows RT, but this initiative did not gain enough momentum and was abandoned around the end of 2014. The RT version needed different versions of software and that was a barrier.
We reported recently on the positive view of corporates on the possibilities for tablets and convertibles that is being seen in corporate circles. It seems to me that Microsoft is prepared to go through the pain of trying to exploit the Qualcomm chips because it sees this as a longer term threat to its business with companies.
It also seems likely that somebody will use this technology to develop servers intended to support thin client architectures, as the power advantages may well be substantial where there are a lot of processors. (BR)
