User’s of Apple Silicon Macs, there’s a slightly improved chance you may soon be able to run a licensed version of Windows on your machines, as an Arm-exclusive deal between Microsoft and Qualcomm seems set to expire.
Qualcomm has a key
XDA-Developers explained to Qualcomm holds an exclusive arrangement with Microsoft to provide the processors to drive Windows on Arm. That’s why you find Qualcomm’s chips inside Windows for Arm devices, and don’t find processors from anyone else.
The report claims this deal will expire soon, which means MediaTek, Samsung, and others may begin to manufacture Arm-based chips for Windows — and may also give Mac users a chance to run Windows on M-series Macs.
There is certainly a chance this won’t happen. Microsoft recently suggested an Arm version of Windows 11 for Apple Silicon is not “a supported scenario” – but things do change in tech.
Where the industry is going
Apple has been working with Arm to develop its chips since 2014, when it introduced the A4 processor inside iPhone 4. Since then, the company’s decision to develop its own processors has paid dividends. Mac users upgrading to an M-series system seem thrilled with the performance and capability of these machines. Apple devices sit at or near the top of most benchmark charts in each category and competitors in the same class now seem to be running at best one year behind.
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Way forward
XDA-Developers isn’t clear about when the Qualcomm deal will expire, but things could get more interesting when it does. Not only might we see a rash of faster PCs running Arm chips and Windows, but we may also see Microsoft’s OS appear on M-series Macs.
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