The Windows PC is about to get GOOD, and you can thank Windows on Arm for that

Microsoft will outline its vision for the future of Windows PCs on Monday, and Windows on Arm will be at the center.

On Monday, Microsoft will unveil its vision for a new era of the Windows PC, consisting of new Arm silicon from Qualcomm paired with next-gen AI experiences. These will result in new Windows devices that are always aware of what you’re doing, able to translate languages in real-time, improve your webcam with artificial lighting and filters, artificially increase gaming performance, and generate text and images on-device.

Microsoft has been working towards this combination of hardware and software since early 2021, after it held an all-hands meeting with leaders across Windows and Surface to discuss how it would respond to Apple Silicon. The company discussed a project called CADMUS, which aimed to bring to market a new era of Windows devices that are performant, efficient, and AI-capable.

Microsoft has worked very closely with Qualcomm on its new Snapdragon X chips, resulting in a moment for Windows on Arm that it’s never had before. The next wave of Windows on Arm devices will be the first with true all-day battery life and consistent instant wake without sacrificing performance. These new chips do trade blows with Apple Silicon.

A new generation of Windows PCs

Windows PCs are about to get good. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)

Internally, I'm told Microsoft has described these CADMUS devices as "the next generation of Windows PCs," differentiated by the AI experiences that will be exclusive to them. Microsoft will unveil the first CADMUS PCs in the form of a new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, powered by Snapdragon X and featuring quality-of-life upgrades such as an OLED display on the Pro and a refreshed design on the Laptop that includes a haptic trackpad.

Notably, these devices will only be available with Qualcomm's Arm chip. You won't find Intel variants of Microsoft's latest consumer-facing offerings, and that's a big deal. It shows just how confident Microsoft is about its CADMUS effort, further strengthened by the fact all the big-name OEMs are expected to ship their own Arm-powered devices this summer alongside Microsoft.

It's the first time in Windows on Arm's history that this is happening. Microsoft's hardware partners are all coming together for this big Windows on Arm relaunch, and they are all now confident that Windows on Arm is ready for mainstream audiences. The new chips are so powerful that most emulated apps will no longer feel emulated, which was a big hurdle for Windows on Arm to overcome.

These new devices will be the first to set 16GB RAM and 256GB storage as a baseline. You won't find a CADMUS device on the market with 8GB RAM, which itself is a big step forward for Windows PCs. People have been asking for this forever, and it seems to be finally happening.