Sadly, Qualcom's performance is still laughable compared to Apple's M1. You can get a Macbook air for around the same price that runs twice as fast (and probably has better speakers). If you intend to run Windows, you'll also run into slower x64 applications more often than with a Mac.
I'm really not sure what the advantage would be for picking a Qualcom processor over getting an i3 or lower end AMD APU.
Someone really needs to step up ARM processor design because no matter how much I detest Apple's business practices, I can't deny that their ARM chip is far superior to the rest of the market.
> Someone really needs to step up ARM processor design because no matter how much I detest Apple's business practices, I can't deny that their ARM chip is far superior to the rest of the market
Never going to happen unless regulators do something about Qualcomm's monopoly. Apple is pretty much the only company with the resources to fight them, yet they still can't get away from Qualcomm parts even in their latest iPhones.
If it wasn't for Qualcomm, I think powerful ARM workstations would've arrived much, much sooner (among other innovations). But of course, monopolies are an enemy of innovation.
EDIT: Okay, "never" may be an exaggeration, but if it's going to happen, it's going to happen on Qualcomm's schedule, not the free market's.
> Never going to happen unless regulators do something about Qualcomm's monopoly. Apple is pretty much the only company with the resources to fight them, yet they still can't get away from Qualcomm parts even in their latest iPhones.
The regulators would be hard-pressed as they have nothing to regulate. Qualcomm doesn't have a monopoly on the ARM ISA. Samsung, Mediatek, Fujitsu, Intel, Nvidia, AMD, etc. all have licenses. Even Microsoft and Google have designed their own ARM processors.
Qualcomm has nothing to do with ARM aside from being a licensee itself. Apple's contentions with Qualcomm center on, inter alia Qualcomm's already awarded patents on cellular modems and the licensing fees it charges Apple.
> If it wasn't for Qualcomm, I think powerful ARM workstations would've arrived much, much sooner (among other innovations). But of course, monopolies are an enemy of innovation.
Intel already tried with StrongARM/XScale to little noteworthy success. Nvidia has achieved limited success with Tegra, but mainly in automotive dashboards and their Shield boxes. All of this is the free market at work. Qualcomm isn't necessary for ARM laptops to fail and his historically had little to do with it.
I'm really not sure what the advantage would be for picking a Qualcom processor over getting an i3 or lower end AMD APU.
Someone really needs to step up ARM processor design because no matter how much I detest Apple's business practices, I can't deny that their ARM chip is far superior to the rest of the market.