The tech world is changing at a rapid pace and the evolution from desktop computing to mobile computing has changed the way we work. To embrace Windows OS into this change, Microsoft has taken an ambitious project of ‘Always Connected PCs’ which is Windows 10 on ARM processors.
The traditional Windows OS is based on the x86 platform but the ARM system on chip (SoC) is different. This is why Microsoft introduced an emulator which emulates x86 based parts of OS and applications to the ARM on Always Connected PCs. This emulation does not always go very well. As a result, the performance of 1st generation Windows 10 ARM devices was not so great.
The main drawback is the number of apps that natively support ARM. There are apps in the Microsoft store which supports ARM but there are many popular titles which do not support ARM64 natively.
The emulator can run x86 based software but the interface is slow and buggy which results poor user experience.
Google Chrome does not support any of Microsoft’s modern projects and there are no Google apps in Microsoft store. The browser is not available on Windows 10 ARM but this is going to change as the big rival tech giants are reportedly working together to allow Chrome to run natively on Always Connected ARM PCs.
Recently Qualcomm confirmed that Google is bringing Chrome browser to Windows 10 on ARM. The latest report today detailed a Chromium commit which shows that Microsoft and Google are working together to make this a reality.
The launch date of Chrome for Windows 10 ARM is not available yet but it could be a big win for Microsoft as they are targeting light PC users with Always Connected PCs and there are many PC users who prefer Google Chrome over other browsers.
It’s important to note that Google won’t be able to publish Chrome in the Microsoft Store as the Windows 10’s marketplace does not allow third-party browser engines.
Microsoft is already working with Qualcomm to improve the performance of Always Connected PCs and it may soon work as good as traditional desktops. According to rumours, Qualcomm is working on next-gen Snapdragon processors for Windows 10 and it could be announced later this year.
