- Microsoft asserts the case of how Copilot + PC based on ARM has improved
- He underlines that these devices now perform the vast majority of software
- There are still weak points, however, in particular compatibility with PC games – although work is underway to resolve some of these stumbling blocks
Microsoft suggesting that Windows 10 users buy a new AI PC as a ranging path to Windows 11 is not new – but the company now pushes Copilot + ARM laptops based on ARM.
Windows has recovered the latest a new blog from Microsoft which is all about “the ecosystem of the expansion ARM application for Copilot + PCS”, and highlighting the amount of software now compatible with these devices as a sales argument.
This is in addition to a recent addition to Windows Update for Windows 10 users, in the form of a link that allows them to explore trading or recycling options of their existing PC, as part of a decision to buy a new Windows 11 device.
As the last underlines, previously underlines, this push towards the purchase of a Copilot + PC was only a general campaign promoting such a machine – that there is an ARM, AMD or Intel chip inside.
But now, Microsoft gives an additional push to the devices powered by the arm, with one of the central arguments here being the amount of applications that applications are now treated with Windows on Arm.
One of the major drawbacks of using an ARM processor has traditionally been the lack of native applications, which means written software for architecture (which is different from X86 applications that operate on AMD and Intel CPU).
As Microsoft clearly indicates in its blog article, the ARM support has advanced certain significant progress, declaring that: “With the refreshing cycles of the device on the horizon, Windows 10 approaching the end of the support on October 14, 2025 and the PCs fed in AI becoming essential tools to improve productivity, consumers and developers are excited by the possibilities offered by COPILOT + PC.
“The ARM applications ecosystem continues to develop, with ARM native versions available for applications representing 90% of the total user minutes, thus offering effective and high performance experiences through the scenarios that most count to our customers.”
Thus, the central claim here is that the arm is ideal for “high performance experiences” with the vast majority of applications. Based on Microsoft’s data in February 2025 (for Windows 10 and 11 devices), using the collective use of applications, 90% of the time spent working on these PCs is made on applications that have a native Arm version.
This means that most of the time, you will use native software, and not count on X86 applications (written for AMD and Intel fleas) which must be executed via a translation layer (Microsoft Prism) to get them to work on an ARM operating system – which is inevitably delivered with performance.
Analysis: the arm is almost there now – but not quite
While Microsoft does not directly push Copilot + ARM PCs in Windows 10 – just PCs IA in general with its NAG panels of repeated upgrade – this blog post shows that it is a direction that the company wishes to explore. And that makes sense, of course, if we consider that Microsoft offers a good selection of surface devices that have ARM processors (alongside Intel machines also, it should be noted).
Is the reality of using a Windows 11 laptop based on ARM as pink as this Microsoft blog article suggests, however? Well, it is certainly true that many progress has been made in terms of applications compatibility, as Microsoft highlights in detail in said article. In fact, most modern applications now have a native version for Windows on ARM, and there is a good chance that you will not encounter any problems to find software for a COPILOT + PC based on ARM – although older inheritance applications (or more obscure efforts) can always prove to be annoying.
The notable collage point, however, remains the game – note that Microsoft’s statistics focus only on applications, not on PC games. For example, I want to play Fortnite On an ARM -based PC? Forget it and ditto for any online game that uses the anti-trichetes systems necessary to try to keep the base of the players honest.
Thus, the answer to know if an ARM -based PC is suitable for your needs really depends on exactly what these needs are. If it is a question of playing, it is always an Achilles heel for these machines – and it could also be for older applications. But elsewhere, as Microsoft notes, ARM devices are likely to be a good correspondence for your needs, while offering excellent battery life to start.
The good news for players, however, is that Epic brings together his act to make the anti-triche (EAC) games easy compatible with ARM, starting with Fortnite. The Battle Royale should therefore be good to go with Windows on ARM before too long – and depending on the speed at which other developers are in implementation of assistance, more toutis games should also arrive on the platform. (This is only a category of games performing a specific anti-trickery tool, however).
More broadly, there are concerns about Microsoft’s thrust so that people on Windows 10 buy a new Windows 11 PC as an upgrade, in terms of imposing heaps of obsolete computers found in the discharge (perhaps hundreds of millions of these devices). This is where this new link in Windows Update with recycling or trade options comes into play, of course.
Okay, so yes, Microsoft has provided an additional year free for Windows 10 PCs – with a slight plug, as you probably know – but as I have supported in the past (to others), I think it must do more in terms of offer at least an additional year in addition to that. I think that the steep material requirements of Windows 11 – necessary for better security, among others, according to Microsoft, call for additional action from Microsoft here.
