They’ll focus on Chromebooks, where x86 enjoys a performance advantage but lacks a four-decade software library to anchor it. When they do, they won’t necessarily focus on Windows, where the entrenched software market makes beating x86 as hard as it could possibly be. But if ARM CPUs show a sustained ability to beat past x86 chips, we’re going to see more chip designers interested in entering that market. x86 CPUs are currently the preferred Chromebook solution for anyone who wants a higher-performing system, and that’s not likely to change in just the next year or two. Any such CPU is still a few years away, best-case.
To be clear, all of this presumes that a company such as Qualcomm, Samsung, or Nvidia will build an ARM CPU core that can compete with x86. That allows ARM and x86 to fight on more even terms. Chromebooks don’t carry the same expectations around legacy software support that a Windows laptop does.
