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Intel throws shade at Arm PCs, claiming retailers get a ‘large percentage’ of devices returned – but Qualcomm is quick to strike back
- Intel interim co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus has claimed that a large percentage of Arm-based PCs are returned due to software compatibility issues. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips power these machines in Microsoft's drive for Copilot Plus laptops. Qualcomm has quickly struck back, stating that their devices' return rates are within industry norms. The two companies did not back up their assertions with hard figures.
- The crux of the issue is that Arm is a different architecture to AMD and Intel's x86 chips, and most Windows apps are written for the latter, making emulation and compatibility a challenge when using Arm processors. Apple has made the move to Arm with its M-series silicon, and the motive behind the development is that Apple is transitioning fully to Arm.
- Microsoft’s equivalent, Prism emulation, is still in its early stages, so developers are not incentivised to code Arm-specific apps or games for what is a relatively small niche of laptops. Growing the hardware base is more difficult without the software support in place, and without hardware, motivating devs to write that native software is an uphill struggle.
- The rejection rate claims are plausible to an extent, and somewhat backed up by what has been seen online. But there is a lack of specifics. Intel and Qualcomm are merely putting their point of view across in the marketplace.
- The fact that often topselling laptops use Arm-based processors, despite the inherent issues, underlines their effectiveness. TechRadar’s number one laptop is a Snapdragon X-based machine. Analysts are predicting significant growth in Arm chips for Copilot Plus laptops, something that Intel is unlikely to be mentioning.
- The present issue seems to boil down to the weakness of the Arm architecture, which relies heavily on software developers writing for it. If the software and game developers are writing code for macOS, for example, they must - in effect - recode for Arm. This is a time-consuming process for something that only constitutes a small percent of the market.
- The situation isn’t new - Microsoft also faced problems getting developers on board with its Windows Phone OS - something that caused it to fail. The Silicon-based laptop market is emerging and developing slowly - everything must fall into place for the market to grow as fast as chipsets originally hoped, and this process will be gradual.
- The bottom line is that the rejection claims might have some weight behind them, but reaching a 30% market share, as some predict, won't happen overnight. As Intel interim CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus said, 'There's no substitute for strong software compatibility'. The challenge for Arm-based PC manufacturers is to make their machines less problematic. Only then will they find acceptance among more mainstream users.
- Qualcomm predicts that Arm-based PCs could own 30% of the laptop market by 2028. However, this future projection can't be taken at face value since the chips' adoption rate is mostly contingent on native software and game availability.
- The Clawback: The deeply personal jousting between Intel’s interim co-CEOs and the CEO of Qualcomm has everything to do with a shortage of silicon capacity. Nevertheless, there is more to it than that. The development reflects tensions that have been simmering for years between leaders in the Silicon Valley about which company always gets to act as the semiconductor industry leader. For Intel and Qualcomm, the debate centres on which processor (Intel vs Qualcomm) will truly be the winner of 5G and who will ultimately own the mobile computing market
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