Microsoft is bringing a full version of Windows 10, complete with desktop app support, to ARM chipsets.
The software giant demonstrated Windows 10 running on a Qualcomm
Snapdragon 820 chip today, complete with HD video playback, Adobe
Photoshop support, and Microsoft Office. Microsoft expects ARM-based
laptops to be the first to adopt this new version of Windows 10.
Traditional x86 desktop apps will be emulated, making the experience
seamless to the end user. Laptops might be the first, but it’s easy to
see past that and realize that this means Microsoft is about to turn a
phone into a real PC.
Microsoft surprised everyone with Continuum for phones last
year, a feature of Windows 10 that lets phones turn into a PC.
Continuum makes use of Qualcomm chipsets and Windows 10’s new universal
apps to scale from a phone screen up to a monitor and includes features
that make it feel like a full-blown PC. While it might look like a PC,
you can’t currently run apps like Chrome or Photoshop, and it’s reliant
on developers creating universal apps. Microsoft is making Continuum a
lot more powerful next year, thanks to desktop apps.
I’ve used Continuum many times,
but its lack of apps mean I always end up switching back to a real PC
if I need to do anything more than basic web browsing or Word documents.
It feels like a gimmick right now, but a suite of desktop apps that I’m
used to using could make it a lot more appealing. There have been
persistent rumors that Microsoft was working on an Intel-powered Surface
Phone, but Intel’s cancelation of its Atom processors
put those rumors to rest. It now seems likely that any Surface phone or
mini tablet that Microsoft may create will have an ARM chipset and the
emulated desktop apps required to turn it into a PC.
Turning a phone into a PC is something that the industry has explored before. Motorola attempted it with the Atrix, Asus created a variety of PadFones, and Canonical has experimented with Ubuntu phones turning into PCs,
but Microsoft’s dominance in PCs means it’s the only company likely to
pull it off at scale. Microsoft isn’t discussing its exact mobile plans
for Continuum with desktop apps, but the company is ready to support ARM
processors for devices with small screens, large screens, and no
screens at all.
Microsoft has spent most of 2016 walking back its mobile efforts, after admitting it wasn’t the company’s focus. The software giant gutted its phone business
earlier this year, and Windows Phone’s market share has plummeted.
Microsoft has refused to walk away from Windows Phone totally, and it’s
clear this ARM effort is the reason why.
The challenge Microsoft now faces if it truly wants to
spark interest in Windows-powered phones again is that they still need
to be primarily a good mobile phone with apps and a vibrant ecosystem.
Emulation has its draw backs for performance, and turning a phone into a
PC is a great technical achievement, but no matter how good that PC
experience is the mobile side will always let the dream down. It’s a
challenge that the entire industry will need to face as devices continue
to converge.
Apple has iOS apps on the iPad Pro and not the full
powerful desktop apps that most professionals need, and it has to rely
on Adobe and other developers to invest time and effort into rebuilding
those apps. Likewise, Google has Android apps that don’t work well as
desktop equivalents, and there are persistent rumors that Chrome OS and
Android will merge to meet this challenge. Microsoft is well positioned
to meet the desktop needs of these mobile devices, but without the
mobile support it won’t be the device that millions will want in their
pocket.
Microsoft has shown recently that it’s willing to invest into niche areas (like the Surface Studio)
and appeal to communities of creators to secure its dominance of the PC
side of computing. Turning a phone into a PC is just another part of
that, even if it only appeals to Windows fans and business customers.
That sizable audience might be enough to keep Microsoft’s mobile efforts
alive until the next big shift in computing. That next shift
increasingly looks like mixed reality computing from Microsoft’s
perspective, and the company is keen to enable its traditional PC
partners to build VR and mixed reality headsets that support its vision
for computing beyond the smartphone. Until then, expect Microsoft to
keep trying to turn your phone into a real PC.
No comments:
Post a Comment