If the public has yet to embrace non-x86 Windows PCs, it’s not for want of the industry’s trying. The concept of a low-power, always on PC (like a phone, but with a bigger display and better input method) has been around for years without quite being able to grab a foothold with buyers. But the latest version, the Lenovo 8cx 5G, which was announced at Computex in 2019, is the best attempt so far and heralds a maturing presence likely to begin to make a dent in the market this year.
The first go at a Windows-on-ARM PC was back in 2011, when Microsoft dedicated a version of Windows 8 to ARM architecture. It was called Windows RT and ran only in 32-bit mode. Lacking much in the way of application software, Windows RT was retired after only two years with just Microsoft’s own Surface 2 and a Nokia system to show for all the effort.
After a few years to let the bad taste rinse out of its mouth, the industry took another shot. In December 2016, Microsoft and Qualcomm announced the new effort at Microsoft’s WinHEC show in Shenzhen. By that time, Qualcomm had brought to market a more powerful application processor — Snapdragon — and Windows 10 was becoming the dominant version of Microsoft’s platform. The 10nm Snapdragon 835, already powering high end smartphones from Samsung and Sony, was to be the little engine that could. Despite the early promise of this…
