2024 was a big year for Windows on Arm

I still can't believe I'm using an Arm-powered Windows laptop every day. After more than a decade of trying to make Windows on Arm a reality, Microsoft and Qualcomm finally did it this year Copilot Plus PCThese new laptops have excellent battery life and great performance – and the app compatibility issues that have plagued Windows on Arm are mostly a thing of the past (unless you're a gamer). Microsoft wanted 2024 to be “the year of the AI ​​PC,” but I think it was largely the year of Windows on Arm. If 2024 was anything but, 2025 is going to be even bigger for Windows on Arm.

Microsoft set the stage for a 2024 year of Windows on Arm announcements at CES in January with the promise of AI PCs and the first major change to the Windows keyboard in 30 years. Laptop manufacturers started putting copilot key on keyboard Earlier this year, it provided instant access to Microsoft's AI assistant. While the Copilot experience on Windows has passed many confusing amendmentsIt's still a key I accidentally press and then get frustrated when a CoPilot window appears.

After meeting with the copilot key lukewarm receptionMicrosoft The Mac vs PC war has started again a few months later. Inside Microsoft, confidence was slowly growing in the early months of 2024 that it could finally beat Apple's MacBook Air after years of lagging behind. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled the company's new CoPilot Plus PC devices at a special event in May, setting the stage for a summer of Windows on Arm laptops from every major OEM.

This year was the key to the revival of Windows on Arm Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processorWhich were announced in April. They deliver the kind of performance and energy efficiency that was previously only available with Apple's MacBooks and challenge Intel and AMD to do better in the x86 space. after much debate Microsoft's MacBook Air is beating the benchmarksreviews rolled in And showed that Windows on Arm is indeed capable of matching and beating Apple's MacBook Air. Qualcomm even hired an “I'm a Mac” person for this boost windows on arm pcThis shows how confident it was in challenging Apple's laptop dominance.

Microsoft and Qualcomm also worked together with developers Make major apps compatibleAnd now it is very rare to encounter an app compatibility issue that cannot be solved by the original Arm64 version or Microsoft's better emulator. Even Google, which previously avoided Windows Phone, has made Arm64 version of Chrome And Google Drive To support Microsoft's efforts. With developers constantly making native versions of their apps available it becomes much easier to switch to a Windows on Arm laptop. The only major exception is gaming, where x86 still reigns supreme in terms of compatibility and performance.

Intel wasn't sitting idly by while the Windows on Arm hype was going on, and neither was AMD. intel counterattack from lunar lake At IFA in September, it delivered impressive performance and battery life improvements. AMD's latest Ryzen AI chips are also competing directly with Qualcomm, and both AMD and Intel have a major advantage in game compatibility Windows on Arm is definitely not ready For.

While we're still waiting for the M4-powered MacBook Air, Apple refreshed its cheapest MacBook in October Surprising upgrade to 16GB RAMApple will likely argue that this is related to Apple Intelligence, but the unusual change comes just months after the CoPilot Plus PC launched, with a minimum of 16GB of RAM that rivals the MacBook Air in price. Apple managed to include its new M4 chip in macbook pro recentHowever, it does show that Qualcomm has some room to grow in 2025.

Both Apple and Microsoft have been focusing on AI-powered features for laptops this year, and the end results have been disappointing on both sides. While most of the initial CoPilot Plus PC buzz revolved around Windows on Arm, Microsoft also debuted some Windows AI features on these devices in June.

The flagship feature was supposed to be Recall, a feature that snapshots most of the things you do on the laptop and then lets you recall moments or scroll through a timeline to see how you used your PC. Is. But because the recall was met Privacy and security concernsMicrosoft was forced to delay the recall several times, undermining Microsoft's entire CoPilot Plus PC marketing effort. improve its securityIn fact, this has happened recently Appeared in trial versions Of Windows.

However, I don't think Microsoft's stumble with the recall will mean the company will slow down its Windows AI efforts. This is what Windows chief Pavan Davuluri told me recently The future of Windows is about cloud and AISo much more is expected in 2025.

Next year will also be an interesting battle between x86 and Windows on Arm. AMD and Intel are working together to block Arm-based chips from Qualcomm, and Intel is facing a period of turmoil ousting your CEOfacing desktop chip problemsand a wave of layoffs earlier this year.

It's hard not to see 2025 as the year Windows on Arm continues to swallow up the laptop sector. Dell leak reveals Qualcomm is preparing new chips for 2025, and the chip maker is also preparing it cheap arm-based chips To reduce laptop prices. I expect we'll see the usual range of laptops at CES in January, as well as laptops that set the stage for the year ahead.

The Dell leak also hinted at Nvidia's next-generation GPU plans, which are now ready for a CES announcement. Leak suggests we'll see RTX 50-series desktop GPUs and even laptop variants with OEMs Rumors of preparing new models To show at CES. Given the state of Windows on Arm gaming, a new generation of GPUs from Nvidia could help generate fresh excitement around x86 laptops throughout 2025.

Nvidia may also be planning to help with the Windows on Arm effort. The chip manufacturer has been rumored for a long time Arm PC chips are being planned to be launched as soon as 2025. Nvidia's expertise in AI chips and gaming could definitely shake up the Windows laptop world and make Windows on Arm even more attractive.

Whatever happens with laptops in 2025, you can guarantee there's going to be fierce competition between Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. It should be an exciting year in the world of Windows laptops.