According to one report, Microsoft has an exclusivity deal with Qualcomm for Windows on ARM (WOA) that’s expiring soon. And that means that other hardware makers will be able to create chipsets for WOA PCs. Why any would want to is unclear. Why anyone believes this is a good idea is likewise unclear.

XDA Developers revealed the exclusivity deal this week, noting that it will expire soon. This is interesting on a number of levels, but the two biggest concerns are that WOA, to date, has been a disaster, while Apple has been able to not just transition Macs to its ARM-based Apple Silicon platform, but see impressive performance and battery life improvements. Naturally, Windows enthusiasts are wondering what’s up. And many are understandably, but incorrectly, blaming Qualcomm for the differences between the two platforms.