Microsoft already presented its Windows on Arm initiative in 2017, with which Windows 10 was developed on laptops with Snapdragon Arm processors. The initiative has slowly gained momentum since then, and numerous brands have launched Windows on Arm laptops.
Arm-powered computing took a big step up this week when Apple unveiled its first Mac computers powered by the in-house Apple Silicon. These chips are also based on the arm architecture. Similar to Windows on arm laptops, Apple promises considerable efficiency gains.
All of these developments have asked us if Android Authority Readers would buy an arm drive computer. You told us that.
Would You Buy an Arm Computer?
Results
We published the poll on November 10, 2020 and cast 1,252 votes. Just over 29% of respondents said they would buy an arm computer, while 18.2% of voters said they would not buy one.
However, a large proportion of respondents (32.3%) said they would consider buying an arm computer if performance improved. Meanwhile, 20.1% of voters felt that price was an important factor before they put their money on it. In other words, over 50% of respondents are open to buying an arm computer if it offers improved performance and more affordable prices.
Read: Samsung Galaxy Book S – A laptop that learns from smartphones
However, performance concerns are definitely understandable. Both Apple and Windows Arm computers can run native Arm apps quickly, while Apple’s M1 chip looks like a beast. However, both platforms rely on emulation to run x64 applications, but this comes at a cost to performance. Fortunately, we expect more third-party developers to develop native arm versions of their apps once Apple is on board.
Pricing is another understandable factor among respondents as both Apple and Windows OEMs charge a significant amount for arm laptops. Both Apple and Windows OEMs ship Arm laptops starting at ~ $ 1,000. Apple is selling the Mac Mini desktop computer for $ 699 (cheaper than the Intel Mac Mini), but a big part of Arm’s appeal lies in its long battery life.
Arm computers are still in the early stages of development and are not yet suitable for everyone (e.g., gamers or hardware hobbyists), but it looks like a lot of people are ready to consider them.
Thank you for voting in our poll! What do you think of the results? Would You Buy an Arm Computer? Let us know in the comments below!