Maximum PC - USA (2019-07)

Software Support

Perhaps the biggest hurdle for non-x86

laptops is software support, because

the vast majority of PC software is

written for 64-bit and 32-bit Intel

and AMD hardware. In the past, this

has meant that laptops running on

non-x86 hardware have been restricted

by what kind of hardware they can

use. However, that is all changing.

Microsoft has been pushing Windows

on Snapdragon and Windows on ARM

development, which are versions of

its Windows 10 operating system that

are designed for non-x86 hardware. It

brings a Windows desktop experience

you’d expect on a laptop—and there’s

a growing number of apps on the

Microsoft Store that can run on these

devices. There are still noticeable

absences, but Microsoft is making it

easier for developers to recompile

their win32 or Universal Windows

Apps to become ARM64 apps, so they

Qualcomm is a US company

that used to be best known

for creating telecommunication

equipment. Its Snapdragon System on

Chip (SoC) platform powered some of

the most popular smartphones in the

world. Part of the appeal of Snapdragon-

powered smartphones was that, thanks

to Qualcomm’s hardware, these devices

could handle many tasks that we used

to use computers for. Suddenly, we were

checking emails, browsing the web, and

posting cat pictures on social media

using our smartphones. Laptops began to

fall out of vogue.

For the past 40 years, laptops have

pretty much kept the same form factor.

Sure, 2-in-1 laptops with 360-degree

hinges and removable keyboards (such

as Lenovo’s Yoga series or Microsoft’s

Surface Laptop respectively), offered

slightly different spins on the tried-and-

tested laptop design, but on the whole,

laptops hadn’t changed much. You got

a screen and keyboard in a clamshell

design, and they were usually powered by

Intel processors and integrated graphics.

They became safe and boring, especially

compared to high-end smartphones, and

the laptop market declined accordingly.

However, at Computex 2017, Qualcomm

and Microsoft announced a new breed

of laptop, powered by the Snapdragon

platform. Instead of smartphones

taking features from laptops, we saw

laptops from manufacturers such as

can run on 64-bit ARM hardware. It is

also introducing emulation for win32

apps to run on ARM hardware—which

will expand the software available

for Windows on ARM devices without

impacting performance.

If Apple does move to its own

non-x86 hardware for MacBooks, we

should see the company port its apps to

the new hardware (and encourage third

parties to do the same). We know that

Apple is working on Project Catalyst,

which will allow developers of iOS apps

for iPhone and iPads to easily convert

their apps to work on macOS. If future

Macs run on similar architecture to

Apple’s mobile devices, Project Catalyst

will ensure there is a wide variety of

software ready to go.

The growth of web apps, which can

run through a web browser, also means

that many traditional restraints for

non-x86 hardware will no longer apply.

HP, Lenovo, and Asus taking inspiration

from smartphones.

This first wave of Windows on

Snapdragon (WoS) devices were built

on the octa-core Snapdragon 835

SoC. Originally designed for flagship

smartphones such as the Samsung

Galaxy S8, the Snapdragon 835 was a 64-

bit ARM processor that used Qualcomm’s

in-house Kryo 280 cores, and was built

using Samsung’s 10nm FinFET processor.

These ARM-based laptops brought

features we’d come to take for granted

on smartphones, such as almost instant

boot times, always-on cellular data

connection, and battery lives far in excess

of anything an Intel-based x86 laptop was

capable of, with claimed battery lives of

over 20 hours.

The Snapdragon 835 SoC also ran a lot

cooler than x86 hardware, which meant

manufacturers could forgo fans—leading

to thinner, lighter, and quieter laptops.

The HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo were

two of the first Snapdragon-powered

laptops, and they certainly delivered on

some promises—battery lives lasted

around 20 hours, and the always-on 4G

cellular data connection meant you could

instantly get online almost anywhere

without having to find and log into

Wi-Fi networks (good for the security-

conscious, as it meant you could avoid

potentially compromised Wi-Fi hotspots).

However, they were far from perfect.

When it came to performance, these

non-x86 laptops couldn’t keep up with

Intel and AMD-powered machines. While

Microsoft worked hard to make a version

©^

windows 10

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intel

Project Athena could be Intel’s way of combatting the rise of Qualcomm-powered laptops.

non-x86 Windows

46 MAXIMUMPC aug 2019 maximumpc.com