back to article Qualcomm faces fresh competition in world of Arm-based Windows PCs

As Qualcomm fights to keep its license agreements to develop next-generation Arm chips for Windows PCs, the American chip giant is getting a fresh reminder that it will eventually face competition from a top rival in the East. MediaTek has proposed how it plans to break up Qualcomm's hold on Arm-based Windows PCs, providing a …

  1. NeilPost

    Microsoft?

    Will Windows on Arm ‘go large’ in a bigger way than Windows Phone and Windows RT?

    1. navarac Silver badge

      Re: Microsoft?

      Not a high-bar then?

    2. 3arn0wl

      Re: Microsoft?

      Micro$oft seems to be more interested in DaaS than ARMWin... or am I reading that wrong?

      Isn't it OEMs who desperately need a competitor chip to the M1 (now M2), in order to maintain a market share in laptops?

      And when is Sufficiency going to be enough?

  2. thames

    Windows on x86 is the new mainframe.

    Apple has shown that it's possible to make an ARM CPU for PCs that has reasonable performance.

    The issue with aiming for the Windows market is that the amount of third party software, especially business critical software, is far, far, larger for Windows than for Apple. And that x86 software is in running systems that are not easily replaced even if it is technically possible to port to ARM. Microsoft makes most of their Windows money from licensing and support contracts with businesses who are tied to x86 by all of this software.

    Microsoft Windows on x86 is the new IBM mainframe. It may not be the future, but it's not going away any time soon, and it will continue to provide a steady cash stream to Microsoft.

    1. NeilPost

      Re: Windows on x86 is the new mainframe.

      But look at the Unified Development platform.

      You can code if x64, ARM, IOS, MacOS, Android and Window’s just one.

      Look, look !!!’

      <Apple also has Rosetta>

    2. airbrush

      Re: Windows on x86 is the new mainframe.

      Microsoft sell a small arm development box which is pretty good, a long way off M1 performance and not particularly cheap but will happily run x86 apps.

    3. Grogu yoda

      Re: Windows on x86 is the new mainframe.

      Windows XP, ran well on a 300 MHz Processor.

      Windows 95, ran on a 25/30 MHz Processor.

      We're in the Days of 2 GHz Sony/Mac M1/ARM64 Processors.

      4 GHz Intel and 5 GHz My Fathers Processors (Without Overclocking / Overheating / Lifespan). You can get to 6/7 GHz with Overclocking.

      So an ARM Windows PC is Not that Difficult.

  3. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Oh, I See, ...Yes indeed, ... Let the Games Begin

    While the prospect of MediaTek breaking up Qualcomm's Windows on Arm monopoly is welcome to some, it likely won't happen anytime soon. Company execs said they viewed the PC market as a "long-term" opportunity and failed to provide any details on a timeline.

    The latter [Company execs said they viewed the PC market as a "long-term" opportunity and failed to provide any details on a timeline] in no way supports the optimism and/or hubris of the former [the prospect of MediaTek breaking up Qualcomm's Windows on Arm monopoly being unlikely to happen anytime soon.]

    History is resplendent in radical fundamental cases that were never thought possible for a very long time, suddenly quite magically accepted as popular acceptable default position.

  4. Grogu yoda

    Qualcomm is the Sony Playstation Guys. Broadcomm is Intel. Both are Dead.

    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge

      I think it's Broadcom that currently employs the original designer of ARM

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