Microsoft's Project Volterra (Real Window on ARM?!?)

Microsoft is finally taking another stab at an Arm base Windows. But will Project Volterra be the future of Windows devices, or another Surface Pro X? Let's talk about it!

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[Kingtrollinger]

Also, I would point out that in Azure there is the option to have VMs run with ARM chips. Letting developers test and leverage scalable resources for development of ARM apps. Essentially, you won't need a beefed-up laptop/Desktop to develop for ARM, making it easier to develop these apps. A capacity Apple simply does not offer via its cloud. Developing ARM applications on this Voltera device would only be useful for localized testing of devices, most of the development should be done in the cloud. Apps should be able to come to the Windows platform a lot faster, depending on the Devs motivation, which one billion devices to potentially gain revenue from and better MS store deal (compared to Apple and Droid) are great initiatives, but time will tell. MSFT needs a mobile device to make this all work.

[N....]

I'm kinda surprised everyone forgot about the QC710 already, which is Microsoft's first Windows on ARM desktop device and has been available for purchase on the Microsoft Store for months now. Granted, Project Volterra looks to have better specs, but both are targeted at developers and it's weird that this one is getting a marketing push while the QC710 didn't. I am definitely really excited for the ARM64 native version of Visual Studio too, as a developer I've been making sure we support ARM with the software my company offers.

Also, any reason you wrote Window instead of Windows in the video title?

[mannkeithc]

I think Microsoft may pull this off this time. The big incentive of going down the ARM processor path is performance per watt. Intel's solution to Apple silicon performance challenge was to throw more power at it. Great for gaming laptops and desktops, but not so good for ultra-books that most of us use for work and content consumption. Qualcomm acquired Nuvia a company formed by leading processor and SoC designers who left Apple to form their own company specialising in high performance processor designs. So, Qualcomm may be able to produce a new range of ARM processors that challenge Apple silicon and appear in future Microsoft service products. As a current Apple user with a M1 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro I am frustrated with the lack of touch display and pen support in Mac OS, and iPad OS limitations despite improvements still makes my iPad Pro feel like an expensive accessory to my MacBook. So, I would welcome a new high-performance ARM based Microsoft Surface Pro where I could realise all my computing needs on a single power efficient device.

[jangofet]

the translator is needed to transition people to arm. once enough people use arm enough, people will eventually make native apps and games per relevant case that it will increase performance enough, then if theres demand for more performance where it will be utilized than im sure the supply will be there too. i heard that translators like proton or rosetta dont decrease performance very much. so if hardware, or probably more importantly software advance, than a slight increase in performance from being native may make even less of difference for most low intensive apps i presume.

[TooToo]

Hypothetically, is it possible in the future to have large desktop motherboards for ARM CUPs, that can accommodate conventional graphics cards, like the RTXs?....

[Johnny_]

it could be a total game changer, or it could be a shittier Mac mini that Microsoft scams people into buying like they do with the surface.
I really hope it turns out awesome though, and competition for apple silicon is always welcome

[BenjaminMudiaga]

You said one cannot run most x86 64bit on Surface Pro X, but yiu are so wrong. That was 2 years ago when it was still new. You can run almost any program on SPX, you don't even know it is being emulated. It works so well. Off course the Chip is not as powerful as the M1 but I reckon 80% of computer users will not notice any difference. The SPX is the perfect computer for majority of average PC users, they just don't know it

[MorbidGod]

I’m excited. I think Microsoft can do this easier when Intel, and eventually AMD, moves to RISC-V. They can just make any RISC-V application a “Universal App” by default which means compatible with x86, ARM and eventually RISC-V. Obviously, that last part isn’t announced but I doubt Intel would plan the move to RISC-V if there wasn’t a plan for apps and OS Support

[ToeCutter]

Microsoft has had plenty of opportunities to successfully migrate to ARM code. One needs only to compare Apple’s transition to ARM to Microsoft’s to see the vastly different approaches that each company takes with moving in new directions. MS released the ARM-based Surface X in 2016 as their *premium* Surface product. The market responded with a resounding “meh?” Apple, fully understanding how critical this transition will be for Apple’s future, pulled out all the stops on explaining (marketing) WHY Apple Silicon was superior to x86/x64 architecture and did so convincingly. For Apple, moving to ARM wasn’t viewed as a suspicious or late move by consumers, it was seen as necessary because ARM offers so many NEW features for Macs and MacBooks. Apple didn’t have to make excuses, they simply showed what was capable and everyone wanted in. I’d suggest this is because Apple has had to migrate to new CPU architectures in the past and have learned the caveats of doing so. The no excuses, 2 year transition duration to Apple Si was a brilliant marketing move as it provided all with an expectation that Apple was committed to Apple Silicon and would move mountains to ensure it was successful.

MS made nothing but excuses with Surface X. Consumers had no idea whether the SQ1 chip (named after SQL?) was a side project for MS, or whether it represented the future for MS consumer products? MS failed to commit, just like they’ve done with past failures, including their multiple, almost comical attempts to elevate Windows Mobile. MS even spent $7 BILLION on Nokia to assuage mobile customers that MS was serious about mobile. MS sold Nokia to Foxconn for $350 million only 3 yrs later. MS has recently made similar comments regarding Android. Broadly, it still seems like we’re hearing from the same MS that lost +80% market share in mobile in the 2000’s.

I have little faith that MS’s transition to ARM will be as painless as Apple’s. Apple designed M1 years ago and those engineers had nearly a decade of experience designing mobile chips. Microsoft simply doesn’t have a cohesive history in mobile to leverage. Sure, they can hire folks to help, but acquisition has always been the MS approach. It’s not worked in past, I don’t expect it will magically work this time around. Every single time a startup I’ve worked for is acquired, I leave to work elsewhere.

MS is an enterprise org that sells some consumer products. I’m convinced that Apple is on it’s way to consume a significant chunk of MS marketshare in mobile compute. Folks will never see a new version of Windows as something “new.” All the word salad press releases and CGI promos in the world won’t change the fact that Apple is now leading MS around by the nose, at least in consumer compute. Apple are no angels, but they’ve beating MS at their own game for decades and I just don’t see the latest version of Windows on ARM changing that. Apple are no angels, but they’ve successfully transitioned to their own silicon by providing some highly desirable features that ARM allows. What new features does Windows on ARM provide, beside the obvious power savings? I don’t think they ever mentioned it.

[obinnaokafor]

Are here to talk about a Microsoft product or an Apple product? lol