Microsoft’s CoPilot+ PCs, as good as they sound on paper, are getting shrouded in one controversy after another. Following a massive uproar about the privacy nightmare that is its AI-powered Recall feature, causing the company to disable it on launch, Korean smartphone giant Samsung has now raised questions on the program compatibility of the new ARM SoC-equipped CoPilot+ PCs, having launched its own.
For context, the ARM architecture is relatively new regarding Windows, with most apps being built for x86 processors typically manufactured by chip giants Intel and AMD. However, with the power efficiency benefits and other capabilities that ARM SoCs offer, Microsoft is now aiming at a new horizon while also looking to compete with Apple silicon.
To address compatibility concerns, Redmond is actively pushing for developers to build native ARM versions of their existing apps, having already convinced many software companies, including Adobe. However, for programs that don’t yet have native ARM versions, Microsoft claims that its Prism emulator will handle running x86 programs on ARM just fine.
That’s where Samsung comes into the picture. Having launched the Galaxy Book4 Edge, a CoPilot+ PC equipped with the Snapdragon Qualcomm X Elite chip, the company’s Korean division has warned that many security applications, Adobe Illustrator, Google Drive, and games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and even Microsoft’s Halo series won’t run on these new ARM-powered Windows machines.
Some South Korean financial services websites are also incompatible with the new machines. The compatibility warning on Samsung Korea’s website even adds that some printers may not work with their new laptops without updated software.
Interestingly, Samsung websites outside of South Korea have no such warnings, indicating it could be a region-specific issue. It’s also worth noting that Microsoft lost an anti-trust case in South Korea around 2005, causing the software giant to produce a Korea-only version of Windows at least until Windows 10. Regardless, how Windows on ARM performs in the market remains to be seen. With new laptops starting to hit the markets, we’ll soon find out if Samsung Korea’s warning has any substance.
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