Qualcomm expresses dissatisfaction with OEM manufacturers: Windows on ARM terminal device pricing is too high

In the early years, Qualcomm and Microsoft launched the Windows 10 ARM system, and then OEM manufacturers such as Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard launched corresponding notebook computers.

But as you know, Windows on ARM compatibility is a bit poor. For example, it was not until last year that Microsoft developed the x64 version of the emulator so that the Windows ARM version can run 64-bit desktop applications. Previously, it could only run 32-bit desktop applications.

In an interview with the media a few days ago, Qualcomm complains that the price of the equipment introduced by the manufacturer is too high, especially the weak performance of the first-generation equipment, and the price is more than $1,000.

“One of the points that we were not satisfied with the early devices was the inadequate pricing,” said Miguel Nunes, the Senior Director, Product Management at Qualcomm, in an interview with Golem.de.

According to Qualcomm, Qualcomm has no pricing power for always-on devices launched by hardware partners and therefore cannot interfere with the specific retail prices of terminal devices.

Of course, another reason for the higher price is that the price of Qualcomm chips is not cheap. In the early days, only the Snapdragon 835 was provided to the manufacturer and no other mid-to-high-end chips.

However, in 2020, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8cx, Snapdragon 8c, and Snapdragon 7c to cover different positioning, even so, the price of Microsoft Surface X is still as high as $1500.

But Samsung Galaxy Book Go priced at only $500 is indeed more consumer-friendly, of course, provided that consumers do need to use such devices.

The generally high retail prices of terminal devices are indeed one of the reasons why Windows on ARM devices are not so popular, but it will definitely not be the only reason.

After all, for consumers, the performance of such devices is not as good as Intel and the compatibility is relatively poor. Qualcomm has not expressed its own views on this aspect.

Especially after Apple introduced the M1 chip, the price of the MacBook has not been cheaper than in previous years, but the sales are still hot. Obviously, the price is not the biggest reason to hinder consumers.

Qualcomm will launch more Snapdragon chips suitable for desktop platforms and cooperate with manufacturers to launch more devices.

In particular, Windows 11 ARM already supports x64 emulators. For consumers, as long as Qualcomm can improve chip performance, compatibility will not be a big problem.

Via: DrWindows