Episode 387 – Windows on ARM: Physical Hardware vs Virtual Machines, App Compatibility, and Other Considerations

Welcome to Episode 387 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben dive into a discussion around Ben's newly purchased Surface Pro 11th Edition - a Copilot Plus PC running on an ARM processor. Ben gives his takes on the state of the hardware and how Windows 11 runs on a native ARM processor. Scott also gives his experience running Windows 11 daily for work on Parallels Desktop on Apple Silicon. Scott's hot take - virtualizing Windows 11 on a Mac is better than running it on native hardware. Listen in as Ben and Scott talk through Windows on ARM, whether a virtual machine might be best for you to try out Windows on ARM, pitfalls of application compatibility, and when you might just want to consider a remote desktop session instead to get your Windows work done from a Mac. Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options. Show Notes Meet the Surface Pro 11th Edition Microsoft announces Copilot Plus PCs with built-in AI hardware The Ultimate Solution: Windows 11 in a virtual machine + Parallels Desktop + Mac Computers with Apple silicon Azure Cobalt 100-based Virtual Machines are now generally available Unified inbox in Outlook for Mac MMR Call Redirection for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 now available How emulation works on Arm Exploring Windows on ARM: The Future of Computing About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!