The future of mobile PC is here

By Arm Ltd

May 11, 2018

The smartphone has fundamentally changed the way other types of computing devices are being designed. Focus on energy-efficient compute, portable form factor, long battery life, and connectivity has spread far wider than just the smartphone in your hand.

Nowhere has this design influence been more significant than in the area of notebook PC. The era we are just now entering is that of the “truly mobile” PC, which is being driven by advances in smartphone SoCs that bring that level of innovation to large-screen devices, a journey that is just beginning.

What does this mean for consumers?

• Fast , seamless connectivity (cellular or WiFi)
• Even longer battery life
• Thin, lightweight devices
• Rich multimedia and graphics
• A secure and trusted app ecosystem
• Multiple levels of security – built-in HW, built-in SW, and certified apps

Applications on large-screen computing devices can be more demanding of computing resources (think about 4K and HDR video content, high-definition gaming, video streaming, and emerging virtual reality and AI use cases via gigabit LTE). However, consumers want all the above without sacrificing battery life and mobility.This presents a fascinating challenge for hardware designers and software developers, and they are rising to the challenge. The future looks promising with a strong ecosystem of players. Our friends at Shrout Research have published an in-depth whitepaper on the first generation of the always-on, always-connected Windows PC revolution.

In his latest, Ryan Shrout delves into the drivers that have prompted this revolution in design and what this new class of always-on, always-connected PCs brings to consumers.

Quoting Ryan:

“Many in the industry believed that smartphones and mobile-OS powered devices would be the replacement of the PC industry. In fact, we have seen a different story: Though the impact from smartphones remains substantial, the drive is pushing features developed and perfected in the phone space back into the PC.”

He adds:

“For the immediate window, mobile processors like Qualcomm Snapdragon, powered by Arm-based core designs, have a marked advantage. Their ability to provide long battery life, more performance and features to Windows users will be unmatched.”

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