Cellular PC to Offer Legacy Application Emulation

Microsoft and its partners are working to create “cellular PCs.” A cellular PC could be a mobile device like today’s smartphones but be able to run both new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications and x86-based Windows desktop (Win32) apps. Cellular PCs could offer workers who are mobile part of the day a single device that works like a PC when docked but like a phone while mobile. Such a device is likely a year away, and emulation of desktop applications could be a significant performance draw on the device’s processor and battery—making UWP applications a better choice when not plugged in.

Cellular PCs

Per Microsoft’s announcement at the 2016 Windows Hardware (WinHEC) conference in China, a cellular PC is a device based on an ARM processor meant to be lightweight and power efficient. These devices can connect to cellular networks using software-based SIM (eSIM) technology. The devices will natively run the Windows 10 OS, but they will also be able to run x86 Win32 applications in emulation mode. Because the device will be running Windows 10, it will be touch and pen enabled and offer security features such as Windows Hello biometric login to the device and a network.