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Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 850 Platform Targeted For Windows 10 PCs (hothardware.com)
MojoKid writes: Qualcomm's Always-Connected Windows 10 PC initiative with Microsoft kicks into another gear this morning with the announcement of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Mobile Platform for Windows 10 PCs. Based on what looks to be an optimized version of the Snapdragon 845 specifically tuned for laptops and 2-in-1 convertibles, the Snapdragon 850 promises a 30 percent boost in system-wide performance versus the previous generation Snapdragon 835 platform, while its integrated Snapdragon X20 LTE modem promises peak speeds of 1.2Gbps. When it comes to battery life, Qualcomm says that PCs running the Snapdragon 850 will be able to top 25 hours of runtime. Qualcomm also notes it will have many more OEM partners and a lot more device options to choose from (hopefully at lower price points) this time around. Couple that with Microsoft's new support for the ARM64 SDK in Windows 10, and things could get interesting for this new class of machine. No word on availability just yet, beyond the note that devices will be available in market later this year.
It may not interest you, and if all they run is Windows, it doesn't interest me, but I would LOVE to have an SD845 (something that is available now) laptop that runs Linux. An SD850 would just be a bonus...
I don't do graphics editing on my laptop, or compiling, or (insert computationally intensive task here). I want a laptop that can run for 20 hours.
Hopefully someone like System76 will make a laptop out of one of these.
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Microsoft realizes they're not beholden to Intel. Intel needs Microsoft more than Microsoft needs Intel. While it's been a profitable relationship for nearly 40 years, Intel is facing serious competition at the lower end from ARM ever since computers became "fast enough" that most people can get most of their computing needs done with a low-end computer. Microsoft is making sure they have a finger in every pie. If the Intel ship sinks, they don't want it to take Windows down with it. So they're doing what they can to make sure Windows and its API is hardware-agnostic and can run on both Intel/AMD and ARM.
Whether Windows 10 for the Snapdragon 850 sells well or not is immaterial to Microsoft. They are simply hedging their bets to insure their Windows cash cow survives regardless of whether the winner of the processor war ends up being Intel, AMD, or ARM.