• TCB13@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Unless they can convince MS to release Windows for ARM this wont amount to anything. What holds back PC ARM is the fact that Microsoft isn’t selling licenses of Windows for ARM.

    • simple@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      Windows does actually have a Windows 11 version of ARM. The Thinkpad X13s for example does use it. It doesn’t seem to be widely available though, maybe because it’s experimental.

      • TCB13@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yes it does but Microsoft doesn’t seem to be licensing it to anyone. You can’t buy licenses and last time I checked only the Surface got it, I believe they’re trying to hold it from themselfs in order to push the Surface as the only option if you want a very light / portable Window ARM computer.

    • the_q@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Microsoft holds a lot of things back. X86 also holds a lot of things back especially when the future is ARM.

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Even if they do, they’d still need a Rosetta-like translator. I don’t see that happening any time soon.

      • TCB13@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Can you buy licenses? Why haven’t all manufacturers making and selling ARM tablets / laptops with Windows ARM then? I believe they’re trying to hold it as a competitive advantage to sell more Surface machines.

        • ripcord@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Can you buy licenses?

          I can’t, but OEMs can.

          Why haven’t all manufacturers making and selling ARM tablets / laptops with Windows ARM then?

          Because no one was buying them.

          Microsoft was pushing to make this happen extra hard with Windows 8 or so. They’ve kept it alive since then. It’s revived a bit once they started seeing ChromeOS devices start taking over the low end of the market.

          But the available ARM processors kinda sucked; the price difference at the low end wasn’t enough for consumers in most cases: low margins are a demotivator for manufacturers; Intel and AMD got better low-power, low-price options; app availability was/is a big problem, etc.

          But you can buy Windows ARM laptops and things from Samsung, Lenovo, a few others right now. The others don’t care, mostly still for the reasons above.

        • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Why haven’t all manufacturers making and selling ARM tablets / laptops with Windows ARM then?

          Nobody wants them. If they want a Laptop or desktop they’re going x86 because it’s so much faster running the software that exists. If they want a tablet then they’re buying an iPad. Windows on tablets sucks.