The first Windows 10 on ARM PCs are expected to hit the market this holiday season, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor.
It is widely expected that Microsoft will be leading the market with their own Surface-branded laptop first before other OEMs weigh in, but according to Digitimes another company may get there first.
They report that some upstream suppliers believe the new product would either be from Microsoft or a Lenovo-branded 2 in 1.
Lenovo already produces ARM-powered Chromebooks, such as the Lenovo Flex 11, which is a 2-in-1 convertible notebook powered by a 2.1 GHz quad-core ARM processor with a 11.6-inch IPS multi-touch HD display, water-resistant keyboard, USB 3.0, USB Type-C, HDMI, a mic/audio jack, and an SD card slot, delivering up to 10-hour battery life and starting at $279.
Because the ARM tablets are expected to run the Cloud version of Windows 10 and would be tied to the Windows Store the PCs are expected to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum such as the Flex 11 above.
Digitimes notes that the move would increase pressure on Intel, which has not been able to successfully branch out of the x86 PC and server market, which should mean better prices and increased innovation for Intel users, even if we do not buy into Microsoft’s new ARM-powered ecosystem.
