While Microsoft has tinkered with Windows on ARM as a platform for over a decade starting with the Surface RT, this time around it seems like it’s getting the support its begged for as larger developers like Adobe and Slack finally buy in on the vision.
Late last week, Slack announced it launched a dedicated desktop app for Windows that supports the company’s Windows on ARM platform. When Microsoft revisited the concept of Windows on ARM in a more concerted effort with its Surface Pro X launch in 2017, Slack was among the larger developers to sit out that support cycle alongside Google, Adobe, Intuit, Valve, Autodesk, and more.
However, Slack is now making its ARM64 version in Beta downloadable via its website and has plans to put it in the Microsoft Store ahead of the initial launch of Qualcomm Copilot + powered PCs starting June 18, 2024.
With just a week out from the first wave of Copilot + PCs hitting customers hands, Microsoft’s latest Windows on ARM effort sits in a much more supported position than it did in 2017 with the likes of Adobe (heavier creative apps such as Premiere), Zoom, Spotify, Slack, and Google all prepped and ready to go.
In addition to working on its own transition layer to help bridge the compatibility and performance gap between x86 and ARM64 experiences, native app development will also go a long way to boosting acceptance of Microsoft’s decade long ambition to move computing forward.
