Microsoft confirmed late last year that it was bringing Windows desktop apps to mobile ARM processors. The company was making another attempt at bringing over the Windows experiences to devices powered by ARM processors, the kind of chips that you’d find in a smartphone. It confirmed back then that Windows 10 on ARM was made possible due to a partnership with Qualcomm so it’s not surprising to hear that the first PCs that are a result of this partnership are going to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor.
At Computex 2017 in Taipei, Taiwan today, Microsoft confirmed the partners that will be making the initial batch of Windows 10 ARM-powered PCs. It confirmed that HP, ASUS, and Lenovo are the three OEMs that are going to be developing these “mobile PCs.”
On the software side, Windows 10 will be able to emulate conventional desktop applications so that users can get a proper PC experience. Microsoft has made this happen by building an emulator directly into the operating system. These mobile PCs will be able to run powerful x86 win32 apps like Photoshop.
Despite confirming the three OEMS that have decided to take a chance on this, Microsoft hasn’t confirmed as yet when their mobile PCs are going to arrive. It does say that these machines will provide better battery life and LTE connectivity.
Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf previously said that ARM-powered Windows 10 PCs are not going to be released before the fourth quarter of this year.
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