On May 24, 2021, during Qualcomm's virtual press event, Zoom announced that a version of its Windows 10 app built natively for ARM processors is coming later this summer, covering every Qualcomm Snapdragon PC. The news lands for people who love the thin, long-lasting laptops built on that chip but are still stuck with emulated software for the video calls their work and schooling depend on. It is a small chapter in a larger story about whether Windows can truly belong to a second kind of processor, and each native app that arrives makes that story a little more believable.
Zoom Plans Native ARM Optimization for Snapdragon Windows PCs This Summer
Slim laptops, long calls, and an app that finally speaks ARM natively
Mark
Zoom already runs on these laptops. Why does a native version matter?
Mimi
Because today it runs through emulation. That costs speed and it means the app can't use ARM's strengths, especially battery life.
Mark
So the main selling point of these slim laptops is partly undercut by a very common app?
Mimi
For people on calls all day, yes. Zoom says the native build will run faster, use fewer resources and support all-day use.
Luke
Careful, though. Those are promises from before release. Nobody has published battery or speed numbers for the new build.
Mark
Fair. What about the timing?
Mimi
Zoom only says this summer. No specific date was given, and it was announced at Qualcomm's event alongside the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 platform.
Luke
And Qualcomm has an interest in the announcement looking good, so Gal's quote is a company statement, not an independent test.
Mark
Does it signal a wider shift?
Mimi
Possibly. Teams went native late last year, and Photoshop and World of Warcraft have arrived. Adoption has been slow, so each one counts.
Luke
The forecast of more native apps by late 2021 is conditional on developers picking up the Developer Kit. And x64 emulation is expected this fall, but early results are described as less promising than native apps.
Il Polso
- Zoom's Windows 10 app currently runs through emulation on Snapdragon laptops like the Surface Pro X, and that slowdown is frustrating users who expected their machines to feel fast.
- A native ARM build is promised for this summer, aimed at faster performance, lighter resource use, and a full day of battery life.
- The announcement arrives alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 and Developer Kit launches, pushing the ARM Windows ecosystem into the spotlight.
- Microsoft's Teams already runs natively on these chips, so Zoom is closing the gap with its main rival, though adoption across Windows 10 ARM has been slow.
- All of this rests on promises not yet tested: the app hasn't shipped, and the fall x64 emulation release and developer uptake of the kit are still open questions.
On May 24, 2021, during Qualcomm's virtual press event, Zoom announced that a version of its Windows 10 app built natively for ARM processors is coming later this summer, covering every Qualcomm Snapdragon PC. The news lands for people who love the thin, long-lasting laptops built on that chip but are still stuck with emulated software for the video calls their work and schooling depend on. It is a small chapter in a larger story about whether Windows can truly belong to a second kind of processor, and each native app that arrives makes that story a little more believable.
At Qualcomm's virtual press event on May 24, 2021, Zoom made one of the more interesting announcements of the day. Sharing the stage with the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 and the Snapdragon Developer Kit, Zoom said it will release a version of its Windows 10 app built natively for ARM processors later this summer, covering all Qualcomm Snapdragon PCs.
The news is aimed at people who love the slim profile of Qualcomm-based laptops but still have to get through video calls every day. Owners of machines like the Surface Pro X or the HP Elite Folio can already run Zoom, but only through emulation, which means slower performance and no real benefit from the battery efficiency that makes ARM laptops appealing in the first place.
Zoom's Chief Product Officer, Oded Gal, framed the change as a way to keep people connected from virtually anywhere, with much longer battery life. The promised results are faster performance, lower resource use, and a full workday on a single charge. Those are goals, not measurements, since the app hasn't shipped yet.
Zoom is following Microsoft, which announced late last year that Teams natively supports Qualcomm PCs. Native ARM apps on Windows 10 have been slow to arrive, though recent additions like Adobe Photoshop and World of Warcraft suggest momentum. Zoom's move is a meaningful win for the platform.
What comes next depends on three things: whether Zoom meets its summer timeline, whether developers take up the Snapdragon Developer Kit, and whether x64 emulation arrives on schedule this fall.
At Qualcomm's virtual press event on May 24, 2021, one of the announcements came from outside the chipmaker's own lineup: Zoom said it will release a version of its Windows 10 app built natively for ARM processors, due later this summer. It will cover all Qualcomm Snapdragon PCs.
Zoom shared the stage, so to speak, with two Qualcomm launches: the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 Compute Platform and the Snapdragon Developer Kit. The Zoom news is aimed at a specific group of people, those who like the slim profile of Qualcomm-based laptops but still have to sit through video calls.
Right now, owners of machines like the Surface Pro X or the new HP Elite Folio can already run Zoom on Windows 10. But the app runs in emulation rather than natively. That means slower performance, and it means the software doesn't take advantage of what ARM computing offers, battery life chief among those things.
Zoom's Chief Product Officer, Oded Gal, described what the new build is meant to change. Zoom will release a version this summer optimized for Snapdragon, he said, delivering significantly longer battery life so the app can run longer than before and let people connect from virtually anywhere. He added that Zoom is proud to work with Qualcomm Technologies to help businesses and students connect, communicate and express ideas.
The practical promise is an app that runs much more quickly, uses fewer system resources and lets people on Snapdragon-based PCs work through an entire day on a charge. Those are the stated goals ahead of release, not measured results, since the app hasn't shipped.
Zoom is not the first major video-call app to make the move. Late last year, Microsoft announced that Teams natively supports Qualcomm-based PCs, a step the source describes as long overdue. Zoom, Microsoft's rival in this space, is now following.
The broader backdrop is that adoption of native ARM apps for Windows 10 has been relatively slow. Recently, though, the platform has picked up some significant names, including Adobe Photoshop and World of Warcraft. Against that record, landing Zoom counts as a notable win for the ecosystem.
More may follow. If developers pick up the Snapdragon Developer Kit, which is due later this summer, more native apps could appear toward the end of 2021. Separately, emulation of x64 software is expected to arrive for Windows 10 later this fall, although early results are not as promising as native solutions. The things to watch are whether Zoom delivers on its summer timeline, whether developers take up the kit, and whether x64 emulation arrives on schedule.
Citazioni salienti
This summer, we'll release a new version of Zoom that will enable the optimization for Snapdragon, delivering significantly longer battery life.— Oded Gal, Chief Product Officer, Zoom Video Communications
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Windows Central ↗
Technology