some first impressions of new Snapdragon PCs
Note: I haven't touched one of these. This is based on things I've read on the internet. They looked attractive: - PC's based on an ARM processor that was kind of like Apple's - higher performance that x86, especially in computation per Watt. - a liklihood of being open since they were aimed at Windows - a liklihood of lower prices since multiple manufacturers can make PCs based on the processor So far, I'm tentatively disappointed: - full(?) Linux support is six months away. Support will be from Qualcomm. That doesn't really sound open. And who knows how long six months really is. - first reports (from the Windows world) is that real performance isn't what was promised. Apparently, at full throttle, these burn a lot of power. - the cost is in the same ballpark as Apple computers. - Qualcomm or Microsoft has not provided developers the tools to build software for the platform. - Intel and AMD are moving forward so any Qualcomm advantage may be narrowing. Oh, and "Recall", the centerpiece of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs (the branding currently limited to Qualcomm-based products), seems to be a pretty bad security nightmare.
If it's another Chromebook at Apple price, then I'll pass. On 2024-07-08 09:15, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
Note: I haven't touched one of these. This is based on things I've read on the internet.
They looked attractive:
- PC's based on an ARM processor that was kind of like Apple's
- higher performance that x86, especially in computation per Watt.
- a liklihood of being open since they were aimed at Windows
- a liklihood of lower prices since multiple manufacturers can make PCs based on the processor
So far, I'm tentatively disappointed:
- full(?) Linux support is six months away. Support will be from Qualcomm. That doesn't really sound open. And who knows how long six months really is.
- first reports (from the Windows world) is that real performance isn't what was promised. Apparently, at full throttle, these burn a lot of power.
- the cost is in the same ballpark as Apple computers.
- Qualcomm or Microsoft has not provided developers the tools to build software for the platform.
- Intel and AMD are moving forward so any Qualcomm advantage may be narrowing.
Oh, and "Recall", the centerpiece of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs (the branding currently limited to Qualcomm-based products), seems to be a pretty bad security nightmare. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
participants (2)
-
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
William Park