- Microsoft argues for the case for how arm-based copilot+ PCs are improved
- It points out that these devices are now running the vast majority of software
- However, there are still weak points, especially compatibility with PC games – although the work is underway to solve some of these tripping blocks
Microsoft, which suggests that Windows 10 users are buying a new AI PC as an upgrade route to Windows 11, is not something new-but the company is now pushing arm-based copilot+ laptops forward.
Windows latest picked up a new blog post from Microsoft, which is about the “Expanding Arm App Ecosystem for Copilot+ PCS” and emphasized how much software is now compatible compatible with these devices as a point of sale.
This comes on top of a recent addition to Windows Update to Windows 10 users in the form of a link that allows them to explore opportunities for trading or reuse their existing PC as part of a step to buying a new Windows 11 device.
As Windows latest points out, this push was against buying a Copilot+ PC just a general campaign promoting any such machine – whether there is an arm, AMD or Intel chip inside.
But now Microsoft gives an extra skyve to devices that are arm -powered, where one of the key arguments here is how much in the way of apps is now taken into account with Windows on the arm.
One of the major disadvantages of using an arm processor has traditionally been the lack of original apps, which means software written for the architecture (which is different from the X86 apps running on AMD and Intel CPUs).
However, as Microsoft makes it clear in his blog post, arm support has taken some significant steps forward, saying that: “With device update cycles on the horizon, Windows 10 is approaching the end of support on October 14, 2025, and AI-powered PCs that become important tools to improve productivity are consumers and developers both excited.
“The arm-app ecosystem is still expanding with native arm versions available to apps representing 90% of the total user minutes, providing effective, high-performance experiences across the scenarios that matter most to our customers.”
So the central claim here is that arm is ideal for “high performance experiences” with the vast majority of apps. Based on Microsoft’s data, from February 2025 (for both Windows 10 and 11 devices), which goes by the collective use of apps, 90% of the time spent working on these PCs on apps that have a native arm version.
This means that most of the time you will use built -in software and not rely on the X86 apps (written for AMD and Intel Chips), which must be run through a translation layer (Microsoft’s Prism) to make them work on an arm OS – which inevitably comes with a benefit overhead.
Analysis: Arm is almost there now – but not quite
While Microsoft does not directly push arm-based Copilot+ PCs in Windows 10-BIGE AI PCs in general with its repeated upgrade panels-showing this blog post that this is a direction that the company wants to explore. And, of course, it makes sense when you consider that Microsoft offers a good selection of surface units that have arm processors (along with Intel machines, it should be noted).
Is the reality of using an arm-based Windows 11 laptop so rosy, as this Microsoft blog post suggests? It is certainly true that a lot of progress has been made in terms of app compatibility, as Microsoft points out in detail within the said post. In fact, most modern apps now have a built-in version for Windows on the arm, and odds are that you don’t run into trouble finding software for an arm-based copilot+ PC-beautiful older apps (or more unclear effort) may still prove to be cumbersome.
However, the remarkable sticky point remains gaming – note that Microsoft’s statistics concentrate solely on apps, not PC games. For example, you will play Fortnite On an arm -based PC? Forget it, and ditto for any online game that uses the necessary anti-cheat systems to try to keep the player base honest.
So the answer to whether an arm-based PC is suitable for your needs really depends on exactly what these needs are. If it’s game, this is still an Achilles heel for these machines – and it can be for older apps too. But other places that Microsoft notes, arm devices are probably a good match for your requirements while offering excellent battery life to start.
However, the good news for players is that Epic gets his action together to make easy anti -cheat (EAC) game that is compatible with arm starting with Fortnite. Battle Royale should therefore be good to go with Windows on arm within long-and depending on how fast other developers are in the implementation of support, more EAC-Toting games should also arrive on the platform. (However, it is only a category of games that run a specific anti-cheat tool).
More broadly, there is still concern for Microsoft’s push to get them on Windows 10 to buy a new Windows 11 PC as an upgrade in terms of a rough pile of outdated computers that end up on landfill as a result (perhaps hundreds of millions of such devices). This is where the new link in Windows update for recycling or invention options comes into play.
Okay, so yes, Microsoft has provided a free extra year of support for Windows 10 PCs – with a small catch that you probably know – but which I have argued in the past (along with others), I think it is necessary to do more to offer at least one extra year on top of it. I feel that the steep hardware requirements in Windows 11 – necessary for better security, among other things, in Microsoft’s opinion – require further action by Microsoft here.
