Windows on ARM Is Back, and It Makes Sense This Time

Chip giant Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and perpetual runner-up Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) have benefited greatly from the fact that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows, the overwhelmingly dominant PC operating system, can only run on x86 CPUs. The market for PC CPUs is a duopoly thanks to this limitation.

Microsoft attempted a version of Windows that ran on ARM processors, the standard for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, back in 2012 with Windows RT. It was an unmitigated failure. The problem: Windows RT could only run applications built specifically for the platform. Standard windows applications were incompatible, leaving Windows RT with a hobbled software ecosystem that led to its downfall.

Microsoft is trying again, and this time its plan makes a lot more sense. At Qualcomm's (NASDAQ: QCOM) Snapdragon Tech Summit earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled the first PCs under its Always Connected PC initiative. These PCs are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors, the same processors found in flagship Android devices. The core features include integrated LTE connectivity and a battery life in excess of 20 hours, as well as support for the full Windows 10 operating system. That means the entire catalog of Windows applications, minus a few exceptions, can be run on these ARM PCs.

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Source: Fool.com