A rush for Windows laptops running on ARM remains out of the question. In the third quarter of this year, the devices accounted for barely 0.8 percent of systems shipped.
Laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X on board cannot yet charm the market. Despite the handsome capabilities of the ARM-based Windows laptops, they are not finding their way to buyers. In the third quarter of 2024, Snapdragon computers represented only 0.8 percent of the market. That percentage accounted for 720,000 devices shipped.
The percentage growth compared to the second quarter is high though: Qualcomm did 180 percent better. That gives a distorted picture, however, given the recent introduction of the devices. After all, the market for Qualcomm laptops has only been around since the summer, except for a few niche products.
Surface in the lead
The Microsoft Surface laptops were unsurprisingly the best-selling devices in the segment. After all, Microsoft launched its Snapdagon X laptop ahead of the other manufacturers. Our own tests quickly showed that this was an impressive device.
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ARM on Windows barely captures market share in Q3
Other manufacturers also play a role. Notably Dell, which has the XPS 13 9345 in the market, among others, and also HP with its OmniBook series. Still, ARM for Windows remains a small market.
On the other hand, AI computers do gain share, although that should come as no surprise. Laptop and processor manufacturers are all prophetically proclaiming that AI PCs are the future, and that is true, since just about all new processors have an NPU on board, and all new laptops therefore get the stamp of AI PC. In other words, anyone buying a modern new laptop today will automatically end up with an AI PC. Whether you can do much with it remains an open question today.