Part of the trick was that ARM previously held a "cheaper, more efficient, smaller than x86" slot, and in the Windows ecosystem that was competing for the botto

Part of the trick was that ARM previously held a "cheaper, more efficient, smaller than x86" slot, and in the Windows ecosystem that was competing for the bottom of the market. Apple's ability to launch the M1 completely demolished that position and made an ARM chip the positively better choice, and it's just not something that Microsoft could ever have tried. MS have always treated the actual hardware as first and foremost someone else's problem. Which is a shame, because when they do produce their own kit, it tends to be very good.