- On this episode of Ask Dan Windows,
we're going to talk about Snapdragon 845
and Windows 10 and ARM.
When can we expect them?
And should you install Windows 10 S on your laptop?
Stay tuned.
(upbeat jingle)
Does it make sense for a non-pro user
to install Windows 10 S on an older laptop
instead of regular versions?
So it's almost been a year
since Microsoft has announced Windows 10 S,
and there's still a lot of confusion out there
about what it is and whether or not people should get it.
I would say, short answer here, no.
You don't need to actually upgrade to Windows 10 S
or put it on your laptop or PC.
Not to mention the fact
it's actually kind of difficult to do.
Microsoft is not exactly making this
as an upgrade or side-grade for users,
instead it's coming pre-installed on certain devices.
Now, the real question is here
why would you want to put Windows 10 S
on a laptop or a desktop if you have one?
And the reason is a lot of people have this idea that
it's performance, it's a little bit better for
battery life and all that kind of stuff,
but it only depends if you install executable files
on your Windows 10 Pro machine.
So if you never install executables
and instead stick to the Microsoft Store
for all your applications,
well, congratulations, you've basically have Windows 10 S.
That's all that this is at this point
is a limitation on where you install applications.
And there will be no performance difference between the two.
Windows 10 S is not in any sense
lighter than Windows 10 Pro,
it just has restrictions on it.
Now a lighter version of Windows 10 is coming,
that's what was called Windows 10 Polaris,
also part of Windows Core OS.
Go check out my other video
where I explain about what that is.
And that's not gonna be an upgrade either,
instead that'll be with newer devices coming out in 2019.
But as a true Finn client solution for Windows 10,
I take it a lot of you are looking for,
but you have to wait a little bit longer
for that to happen.
When can we expect Snapdragon 845-based Windows 10
Always-Connected PCs?
So if you haven't heard,
Windows 10 on ARM has finally launched.
Kind of, sort of, maybe, I don't know.
The reason I say that is
if you've noticed, we have not reviewed the HP NVX 2
which I am super excited to get my hands on.
'Cause HP has not sent one out yet,
in fact, HP has done a very soft launch for this.
Even if I want to order one,
which I would have done by now for you guys,
you can't, you go to the website, it's not in stock.
Why is this?
Including Asus' laptop,
I think they're doing a very soft launch here.
They're trickling it out to markets and various reviewers,
but they're not doing a massive push.
Part of the reason I think because of that
is that these run Snapdragon 835 from Qualcomm.
Now, that's a great processor,
but if you're up-to-date on smartphones,
you probably noticed Snapdragon 845
is the new thing in town,
so why would you go spend 1,000 dollars on a PC
for what essentially last year's processor.
And that's a super good point,
and we will get Snapdragon 845 Windows 10 PCs
hopefully in the coming months.
Now what's actually going on here
is Qualcomm and Microsoft are working together
on this project.
The 835 though, as a chip was already in late development
by the time Windows 10 and ARM was happening.
Snapdragon 845 though, it's a little bit different.
They're working more closely together
to make that a really optimal chip for Windows 10.
So because of that, things are taking a little bit longer.
And don't forget, this is a brand new platform.
There's a lot of kinks to work out,
a lot of feedback that they want to get.
For instance, there is the whole ARM 64 issue
which is being ameliorated right now by Microsoft.
We'll hear more about that at Build in the coming weeks,
so there's a lot of stuff here
that needs to be improved
before this really gets into a massive push.
I expect to see Windows 10 on ARM for Snapdragon 845 devices
though by the end of the year at the latest.
We'll hear more about this probably though
at Build and over the summertime.
With Windows 10 on ARM,
is there any hope for small form factor PCs
to take notes on and read some comics?
So, speaking of Windows 10 on ARM,
there's a ton of potential for this platform
and I can tell already a lot of you see that.
So the question is,
when are we gonna get some small form factor things?
Now, obviously Project Andromeda
is sort of gonna be that lead device.
It's a foldable device if it's in your pocket.
It's gonna be like a notebook.
It's gonna be a surface.
It's gonna be kind of a very different thing
that we haven't seen before.
So that's one instance.
And for reading comics and books,
I think will be actually a really good solution.
But that device as I said before
is not meant to be a one off.
It's meant to sort of lead.
That is OEMs and Microsoft's partners
are meant to create similar devices on this new platform,
and that's gonna be really exciting,
but we have to wait a little while.
It's gonna be at least six to 12 months
before I think we hear a lot more
about this stuff coming out.
Having said that,
any manufacturer of course can make smaller devices.
So, for instance, eight inch or 10 inch devices
that are basically just tablets
with an attachable keyboard,
I myself would love to see
something like an iPad Mini just running Windows 10 on there
and that's now possible with Windows 10 on ARM.
Until we get Snapdragon 845 support
and more drivers and this ARM 64 stuff worked out,
it's gonna be a slow-burner.
They're gonna work their way up to this market but
it won't happen overnight
so let's take a look to see what Microsoft does
over the next six months with Project Andromeda,
and it will go into 2019
and we should start to see more manufacturers
adopt new designs, new form factors,
and hopefully this will address to your concern.
I, myself, am very excited about
seeing small form factor devices
that hopefully I can fit into my pocket
and take around with me,
yet still get all the benefits of Windows 10.
The promise is there.
Let's see if Microsoft can deliver.
So that does it for this episode.
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