From PC World: In an official Windows blog post, Microsoft just announced a new milestone: over 7,000 apps and games are now optimized and available for the Arm version of Windows.
Windows on Arm is a version of the operating system that’s designed specifically to run on Arm-based chips. Whereas traditional Windows PCs run on x86 and x64 chips by Intel and AMD, modern Windows on Arm are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. Other chipmakers are also developing their own Arm-based options, including Nvidia with its RTX Spark system-on-a-chip.
Why is Windows on Arm such a big deal? Because Arm chips are significantly more energy-efficient, meaning much longer battery life while drawing less power, generating less heat, and running much more quietly. But the biggest hurdle for Arm-based systems has always been compatibility. Most apps are designed for x86/x64 systems and can’t run properly on Arm-based systems, and many hardware accessories don’t have Arm-compatible drivers.
That’s why this announcement is worth celebrating. As the number of Arm-compatible apps and games increases, the arguments against Windows on Arm dwindle away. And when critical mass is reached, we’ll reach a point where we can harness all the benefits of Arm-based architecture with little or none of the downsides getting in the way.
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