Last night at WinHEC 2016, Microsoft unveiled that Windows 10 and native Windows apps can now run on ARM-based processors like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series that powers a huge percentage of the Android mobile ecosystem. Further, the company demonstrated a re-compiled version of Windows 10 for ARM, along with a handful of native X86 Windows apps running in emulation mode on the platform – and those apps were running very well.
Unlike Windows RT, this is a full version of Windows 10 that is compiled to run natively on Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware. That means customers are no longer limited to only running Universal Windows apps (as was the case with Windows RT). Not only will users get all of the features and capabilities that you would expect with Windows 10, but you’ll be able to run Win32 apps as well (only 32-bit x86 support will be offered initially) via emulation, in addition to Windows Universal Apps.
The video below has Microsoft demoing Windows 10 running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU based device, running Adobe Photoshop, streaming HD video and playing Microsoft games.
Microsoft is placing a large emphasis on mobile devices with built-in cellular connectivity running Windows 10, with Myerson specifically touting the benefits of eSIM technology (an embedded reprogrammable SIM) that negates the need for wasting space in cramped mobile devices for a physical SIM slot.
Microsoft and Qualcomm expect that the first devices shipping with Windows 10 and Snapdragon processors will arrive during the second half of 2017. Wonder what the lawyers at Intel and AMD think of this.
