Apple just saved Arm-based Windows laptops, and it’s a wakeup call for Intel

[vtqhtr413]

Content source

https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-just-saved-arm-based-windows-laptops-and-its-a-wakeup-call-intel-needs

While news around general PC sales has been rather bleak of late, there has been one section of the market that's bucking the downward trend, and actually increasing: Arm-based laptops. As Toms Hardware reports, sales of Arm-based laptops not only increased last year but are expected to rise again this year as well. This is a remarkable change in fortunes, as the laptop market had primarily been dominated by devices powered by Intel (and to a lesser extent, AMD) hardware, particularly processors. In the past, there have been attempts to release laptops running a specially-designed version of Windows, known as Windows on ARM (and sometimes Windows on Snapdragon), and Arm-based architecture. Arm System on Chips (SoCs) were mainly used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and the idea for these early Arm-based laptops was that they would bring some of the benefits of those devices, such as long battery lives and almost instant boot times, to laptops.

Apple just saved Arm-based Windows laptops, and it’s a wakeup call Intel needs

Intel (and especially AMD) under threat from Qualcomm and Apple

www.techradar.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Wait 5 years from initial release of M1 to let Apple sort out its problems. Then wait an additional 5 years until software vendors sort out their problems. 10 years down the road you have a hardware platform and the software needed.

 

[MuzzMelbourne]

Wait 5 years from initial release of M1 to let Apple sort out its problems. Then wait an additional 5 years until software vendors sort out their problems. 10 years down the road you have a hardware platform and the software needed.

I had the original 2021 M1 MB Air and currently have the 2022 M2 MB Pro. I'm unaware of any hardware problems(I run Beta MacOS as well) or problems with major developer's products.

Sure, if you want to go hardcore in any given discipline you may have to wait for developers to catchup, but there's nothing really new about that.

But, for 99% of users, its light weight, the form factor and being able to do what you want for 16 plus hours without a recharge is very attractive, ARM or not(do they really care).

And, I dunno about waiting 10 years. Surely we'll all be using quantum laptops by then...

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

I had the original 2021 M1 MB Air and currently have the 2022 M2 MB Pro. I'm unaware of any hardware problems(I run Beta MacOS as well) or problems with major developer's products.

Sure, if you want to go hardcore in any given discipline you may have to wait for developers to catchup, but there's nothing really new about that.

But, for 99% of users, its light weight, the form factor and being able to do what you want for 16 plus hours without a recharge is very attractive, ARM or not(do they really care).

And, I dunno about waiting 10 years. Surely we'll all be using quantum laptops by then...

Some users report heavy throttling of the M2 processor. It is probably intentional to get those 16 hour battery days.

The available software for Mac has always been limited, and problems persist after years. For example, if you want to run virtual machines heavy on a Mac, it is a problematic experience to this day.

For my needs, I have to pay a tidy fortune to get a decent-spec'd MacBook Pro.

Still, it is a svelt product line.

 

[MuzzMelbourne]

Some users report heavy throttling of the M2 processor. It is probably intentional to get those 16 hour battery days.

The available software for Mac has always been limited, and problems persist after years. For example, if you want to run virtual machines heavy on a Mac, it is a problematic experience to this day.

For my needs, I have to pay a tidy fortune to get a decent-spec'd MacBook Pro.

Still, it is a svelt product line.

The 256Gb M2 has only one disk processor, hence the response time. A big problem and I'm sure Apple won't fall for that in the future. 512Gb and above have two disk processors, like all M1 MB's, so no issues. Its not true 'throttling' just an engineering/cost cutting exercise gone wrong. But, a valid criticism none the less.

I think the battery life is more the ARM side of things than intentional throttling.

I run Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS on my 2011 MBP no problems and recently had Monterey 12.6 on OCLP 0.6.1 running Linux Mint(cinnamon) in Virtual Box 7.0 on it(ran like a dog, but it ran).

But sure, heavy use, I have no doubt you run out of money before you run out of upgrade needs.

Have you considered/looked at the new 14" M2 Pro MacBook Pro? Apparently they are pretty special.

Svelt? Nothing like the feeling of a Unibody CNC machined one piece aluminium(yeah, that's how we spell it here) case, even after 11 years.