Microsoft and Qualcomm revealed last year that the companies are set to bring full Windows 10 to Qualcomm's ARM processors. During the initial statement, Microsoft officially confirmed that the company is planning to unveil the first Windows 10 PCs powered by Qualcomm's ARM processors this year.
Qualcomm this week has just confirmed, but, the first devices will arrive at the end of 2017.
As reported by a source, during the company's latest investor call, Qualcomm's CEO Steve Mollenkopf said "Our Snapdragon 835 is expanding into Mobile PC designs running Windows 10, which are scheduled to launch in the fourth calendar quarter this year," The first devices are expected to appear between October and December.
In a recent report, Microsoft has ventured ARM-based PCs before, with its Windows RT operating system feeling and looking like Windows, however, compatibility with applications written for Windows running on Intel were not offered. This time around, traditional Windows Programs will support the universal app type as well, making the concept even more appealing.
Details are still unclear, however, Qualcomm and Microsoft are announcing the upcoming devices called as "cellular PCs", which will be much more like a smartphone, and will stay connected to a cellular network, rather than Wi-Fi or a wired LAN. Moreover, these devices will offer Bluetooth 5 and, potentially, Wi-Gig, which are both unified into the Snapdragon 835 chipset.
More so, the ARM-based Windows 10 PCs will also be featuring thin, fan-less designs and will offer long extended battery life for mobile devices. Reports claim it will also offer 4K video, thanks to the built-in Adreno 540 GPU. Furthermore, the Continuum will most likely get a boost from the upcoming ARM support. This feature has long been a mainstay of the Windows 10 strategy, but because of the prevalence of ARM-based architectures on smartphone devices, it has proved impossible to have a fully fluid transition between form factors.
