Adobe has pledged to finally bring its full suite of tools to Windows on Arm, ending its long-time scepticism.
(Image credit: Windows Central)• Microsoft's big AI event has debuted new Copilot features, alongside new Surface products.
• Microsoft's new suite of AI PCs will process AI queries on-device, to address privacy concerns.
• To that end, the firm is leveraging the new Snapdragon X Elite from Qualcomm to produce a range of new AI PCs, including the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.
• Previous versions of Windows on Arm, such as that found in the Surface Pro X, were without support from a major player, but that's about to change.
• Adobe has pledged to finally bring its full suite of apps, including Adobe Premier Pro, to the Windows on Arm effort.
I love my Surface Pro X. It's my fanless travel buddy that I take on work trips that don't warrant taking my full-blown Razer Blade 16 to. However, it undoubtedly has its downsides.
The Surface Pro X is powered by Microsoft's own Arm-based SoC, and as such, many Windows applications are merely emulated on the OS, rather than native. For the most part, it's fine. I just use web apps for the vast majority of what I use my travel Pro X for, and while some apps like Slack can be laggy to use, it gets the job done.
The biggest downside beyond general performance, however, is compatibility. Indeed, if an app is designed to run on Arm natively, it needs to be emulated, since they expect to be running on an x86 environment typical of Intel and AMD architectures. One notable player opted to block most of their apps entirely on the Windows on Arm product line, owing to potential headaches from emulation.
This fact alone made the Windows on Arm product line-up a total no-go for many, many industries and creative individuals. I am, of course, talking about Adobe Suite.
Adobe's adoption of Windows on Arm has been generally slow, but not exactly non-existent. A few of their apps are built natively for Arm, including Photoshop, but at today's big Microsoft AI and Surface event, Adobe pledged broader support.
Microsoft's new Surface line-up looks like a big boost for AI applications. (Image credit: Windows Central)Announcing during the event, Adobe said that it's full range of apps is coming "soon" to Microsoft's new AI PC contingent, generally powered by the Snapdragon X Elite SoC. That includes Adobe Premier Pro, which up until now, has required an x86 processor to run on a Windows-based device.
There are already alternatives to high-end video editing on Windows on Arm, including DaVinci Resolve. But many (myself included) don't necessarily want to learn a new program and upend their workflow to adopt new silicon. Thankfully, Adobe is not forcing those interested in Windows on Arm to make a choice.
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