Microsoft again urges users to leave Windows 10 and switch to PCs running Arm chips

With Windows 10 officially ending support next month, millions of users will be considering upgrading their devices. And Microsoft sees this as a golden opportunity to promote the Copilot+ PC line , especially models running Arm chips like the Surface Pro 11 or Surface Laptop 7.

These machines are advertised with impressive battery life, along with the ability to exploit a series of AI features thanks to a powerful neural processing unit (NPU). However, the biggest concern for PC users lies in application compatibility. This is not too difficult to understand because Windows on Arm has received a lot of 'scandals' for lack of support from developers.

But in 2024, with the launch of the Copilot+ PC, the situation has changed. Developers are more enthusiastic about optimizing applications for Windows on Arm. In a recent blog post, Microsoft confidently declared: 90% of users' time on computers now comes from Arm-native applications.

Microsoft lists a series of familiar applications that now run 'natively' on Windows on Arm, spanning many areas:

1. Security: 1Password, ESET, Bitwarden, Malwarebytes, Cisco Secure Endpoint, Lenovo Smart Connect, myASUS, ReasonLabs…
2. VPN: Proton VPN, Express VPN, Surfshark VPN, PIA, OpenVPN…
3. Management tools: DISM++, VMware Tools, Microsoft Intune, Citrix Workspace, Sunlogin Client, ConnectWise RMM…
4. Work support: Google Drive, Trello, Slack, Dropbox, 7-Zip, Microsoft 365, Todoist, Libre Office…
5. Creative applications: Adobe Creative Cloud, Blender, Figma, Davinci Resolve, GIMP, Camtasia, CorelDRAW…
6. Entertainment: Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, WhatsApp, Telegram, Apple Music, Google Chrome, Instagram…

This list is not exhaustive. Microsoft also recommends users visit worksonwoa.com , an independent website that tracks apps and games running on Arm devices. This is also a source of data that Microsoft contributes and introduces as a 'compass' to help Copilot+ PC buyers feel secure about compatibility before "putting down money".