Apple is slowly shifting its slew of computing systemstowards ARM-based processors— the new MacBook Pros with M1X chip being the latest.
On the other hand, there are onlya handful of Windows laptops and desktopsthat use ARM-based processors. One of the keys to having more of these systems would be a robust app ecosystem.
Last year, Apple introducedan ARM-based Mac Mini for developersto start porting their apps. If you’re a Windows app developer, there’s also a reference machine available for you, thanks to Qualcomm.
In May, at Microsoft’s Build developer summit, Qualcomm announced a developer kit without revealing too many details. Now, we have more information on this device, and a price point of $219.
The device, named theECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop, hasa Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c octa-core CPU(gen 1) with up to 2.4GHz of clock speed.
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You can check out the full spec sheet below:
Specifications
The developer kit ships with Windows 10 Home edition, but you can upgrade it to Windows 11 without cost. It also has the ability for you to run an x64 emulator to evaluate your app’s performance.
Some frequently used apps, such as Zoom,Adobe Photoshop,andFirefoxhave already released ARM-based versions for Windows.
Typically you had to splurge almost $1,000 to get an ARM-based Windows system and start developing your apps. But with this new developer kit from Qualcomm, you can save a ton of money.
You can read more about the Qualcomm ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710here. Plus, you can check out documents related to Windows development on Snapdragonhere.
Story byIvan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.“Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.”
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