5 ms·
The problem isn't even building NT for ARM/RISC-V/SH-4 or whatever, it's being able to reproduce enough of the surrounding universe that Windows on x86-64 has.
by hakfoo 3y ago
The problem isn't even building NT for ARM/RISC-V/SH-4 or whatever, it's being able to reproduce enough of the surrounding universe that Windows on x86-64 has.
Apple has more leverage over devs; they can say "No more x86-64 in N years" and the developers basically have to move to ARM or abandon MacOS. This bootstraps the market; people who want MacOS have to suck it in and buy ARM because it's the only new hardware we'll be seeing in the future.
Microsoft doesn't control the hardware sector to put a hard deadline on new x86-64 products, and it would be suicidal to cut off the x86-64 software support at any time in the near future.
This means we'll see new x86-64 Windows machines in the store, and all the third-party apps supporting x86-64 Windows, for years to come. So as a consumer, why would I want an ARM-Windows machine? It has little exclusive software, is likely buggier and less mature, and probably runs the vast majority of x86-64 software in an emulation penalty box.
- dzonga 3y agoyeah, I wouldn't count microsoft or intel out. arm cpu performance advantages at low power are great. i'm typing this on an m2. but i'm sure intel will figure out how to have great cpu's at low power draws that perform well. amd already did. so i'm sure intel will.
- bigstrat2003 3y ago> Apple has more leverage over devs; they can say "No more x86-64 in N years" and the developers basically have to move to ARM or abandon MacOS. I think Microsoft could do the same thing as far as devs go. If Apple can exert that influence over devs with their extreme minority market share, I think MS could too. The problem for MS is their customers. Apple customers will buy whatever Apple puts out, because they're extremely loyal to the brand. The same isn't true for Microsoft, and I imagine that pressure would cause them to fold on any major changes.
- xxs 3y ago>I think Microsoft could do the same thing as far as devs go That's absolutely unrealistic. The main Windows part is the backward compatibility + the corporates. Nowadays Microsoft develops stuff written in Javascript, not their own frameworks, even.
- dboreham 3y agoI've been using an ARM Windows machine as a daily driver (when I'm traveling) for a year. I do that because it has much better battery life than any similar Intel machine, and it has integrated 4G.
- jacquesm 3y agoHow is the software support for that? What kind of machine do you have?