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Comment by Panino | Hacker News Reader

Just finished upgrading. Thank you OpenBSD!

> Added support for Apple M2

> Added support for Lenovo ThinkPad x13s and other machines using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 (SC8280XP) SoC.

Given the current status and trajectory of ARM64 in phones and tablets, in SBCs, laptops, and even some servers, coupled with the deeply-held global interest in reducing energy usage, every year I get more confident in the belief that AMD64 has peaked and ARM64 is the upcoming top platform. I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another x86 machine for myself.

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I'm so excited about arm64. Regardless of your opinion of Apple, you have to appreciate that they've really pushed the consumer world forward with their switch to arm processors in laptops.

I was just reading the new ThinkPad Z13 with the latest Ryzen is faster and gets similar battery life than the M1 or M2, so I wouldn't call x86 dead yet.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Z13-laptop-rev...

And you do not need to switch the CPU arch.

>with the latest Ryzen is faster and gets similar battery life than the M1 or M2, so I wouldn't call x86 dead yet.

Mind you, even "as fast as M1" would look amazing compared to Qualcomm's mediocre chips. Those who talk of ARM superiority forgot that if you don't buy an Apple device, what you get is mediocrity. And that's just talking of CPU performance. If you need a real GPU, those qualcomm SOC drop from "bearable" to "absolute garbage". While the M1 and M2 have GPUs that are comparable to some of NVIDIA's mid range offerings.

ARM based windows PCs aren't really going to supplant x86 as long as Qualcomm doesn't put a real effort.

Qualcomm is also one of the manufacturers that makes it impossible for Android to be supported for as long as iOS. Closed drivers + no will to do long term support because they're happy to sell more e-waste = drivers won't work on newer linux kernels and what remains is a brick.

Incredible, seems like AMD is having an edge over the battery life wars. Is Intel having an answer for that?

TIL that there were ARM64 windows laptops.

Microsoft sold ARM-powered versions of the Surface for a while (not sure if it was ARM64 at that point) and releases a version of Windows which runs on the Pi, so it's something they've showed interest in for a while. I'm guessing that they also see the writing on the wall in terms of ascendancy of the ARM platform and want to make sure they have software to sell which runs on it as it happens, but hardware vendors haven't been falling over themselves to bring ARM Windows devices to market just yet.

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