ARM: The future of Notebooks

If you are an everyday computer user, then you must have used Windows or maybe you are a Mac OS user. You might also have heard about Linux. These operating systems are based on the x86-64 architecture. But, what about mobile devices like Android or iOS or even laptops based on ChromeOS? These devices run on an architecture called ARM.

Now, you might want to know about ARM and how it differs from x86-64. ARM is a computer architecture just like x86. It was first used commercially in 1987 in a home computer called the Archimedes. Where it differs from x86 is that ARM is a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) architecture whereas x86 is a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) architecture. Also, the first use of x86 was in the Intel 8086 microprocessor in 1978. 

In simple words, ARM was a simpler and less powerful architecture than x86-64. Nowadays, the situation has changed. ARM chips have gotten more powerful over time. This happened due to the increasing influence of mobile devices like Smartphones.

You might be wondering why you haven’t heard about ARM. This is because ARM was not as popular in the beginning. You see, ARM was a power-efficient architecture. In the early days when computers were these big boxes which were supposed to be connected to power all the time, the performance was the main concern, not power. That’s why ARM failed to gain much popularity in desktops however ARM was still popular among mobile devices.

Nowadays ARM is in a very good position because of two factors - power efficiency and less heat output. This is why the Smartphones we use today don’t discharge as easily as a gaming laptop and they don’t come installed with a big fat heat sink to keep the chip cool.

These combined with the success of the iPad has led Apple to change its MacBook lineup from x86-64 to ARM. News from inside sources suggests that Apple will be moving its MacBook Air lineup from Intel to ARM. This also means reduced cost and greater control of Apple over the hardware.

This also comes with a few problems though. The biggest problem being app support. A new architecture means that developers will have to write the apps again to work on the new architecture. And if they don’t change the software from x86-64 to ARM, then the performance will be sluggish as the commands would have to be translated from one architecture to the other.

But do keep in mind this is Apple we are talking about and Apple is Apple. They will find a way to convince developers to port their apps to ARM and they will be successful. If these devices, matching the power of the Intel or AMD processors, with so much power efficiency and so less heat generation by Apple hit the market, they will be a great success. And like always, the whole industry will follow suit. Then we could see devices which are thinner than ever and still pack a great punch.