Qualcomm executives brushed off a question about Apple's new M1-based Macs during a question-and-answer session at the company's Snapdragon Summit today, where Qualcomm announced a new flagship smartphone chipset but no upgrades to its year-old chips for PCs.
"We invested early in Windows on Snapdragon, and we've been on a journey to build this ecosystem together with Microsoft," Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon said. "What we have seen in the past month is a broader validation that was the right bet."
The chipmaker has been partnering with Microsoft since 2017 to help laptop makers build Qualcomm-based Windows laptops, to mixed reviews. Last month, Apple released laptops that shift from Intel-based processors to ARM-based processors, using Apple's own M1 chips.
In general, reviews of Qualcomm-powered laptops such as the Microsoft Surface Pro X (above) have celebrated the devices' long battery life, but lamented problems with third-party apps that were originally coded for Intel processors.
That stands in stark contrast to Apple's new M1-based Macs, which don't seem to be slowed down as badly by older software. Although analyst Pat Moorhead has pointed out some compatibility issues, most reviewers have had better opinions of the M1-based Macs than they have the Qualcomm-based PCs.
"It's a great validation of what we've been doing for the past few years and [Qualcomm's product line] is just going to get stronger and stronger as we broaden our scope," said Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm SVP for mobile.
Katouzian made sure to subtly call out ways in which Qualcomm's always-connected PCs are superior to Apple's newest Macs. The Macs lack 4G connectivity and still have poor-quality, 720p front-facing cameras.
"For many years laptop makers didn't want to bother with improving their front-facing cameras," Katouzian said today. "With laptops powered by Snapdragon, you can have a video call experience that feels like you're right there in person ... with 5G connectivity built into your PC, you can be productive and connect securely from virtually anywhere. You don't need to buy a separate camera, or mic, or modem dongle."
Katouzian also pointed out that (presumably unlike Apple) Qualcomm addresses "many tiers ... and many price points" with its 7c, 8c, and 8cx laptop chipsets, letting Windows laptop makers drive prices well below the MacBook Air's $999 list price.
When the Chips Are Down
The core problem with Qualcomm's always-connected PC strategy is one that Qualcomm itself can't fix. While Qualcomm could, and probably will, soon announce a laptop chip that's based on the new Snapdragon 888 and has a level of raw power closer to Apple's M1, it's really down to Microsoft, as well as peripheral and app makers to solve the platform incompatibilities that have frustrated PC reviewers.
Apple controls its chips, laptop hardware, OS, and key applications. In the smartphone world, that provides some advantage but not much, as Android chipsets, OS versions, and software have all grown up together.
But the Windows world is trying to pivot, and its turning radius isn't great. Microsoft already failed to break free of its Intel dependency once, with the Windows RT experiment. Ultimately it's probably Microsoft, not Qualcomm, we need to hear from about improving Windows laptop performance—and at this year's Snapdragon Summit, Redmond is nowhere to be seen.