4 things we want in a Surface 4 powered by ARM

With Windows 10 coming to ARM this year, it's hard not to imagine a new device in the original Surface family.

The original Surface RT and Surface 2 were both ARM devices that were locked to the Windows Store, meaning they ultimately failed to gain any traction in the tablet PC market. With the Surface 3, Microsoft changed things up a little by bringing the line to low-end x86 chips with the Intel ATOM. This allowed it to run normal desktop apps, which, as a result, solved the problem that plagued both the Surface RT and Surface 2.

Intel since killed those ATOM chips, meaning there's no viable low-end CPU out there that would make sense in a low-powered Surface 4 device. If Microsoft wants to continue building low-powered Surface devices, it needs two things: desktop app support, and low-powered, low-cost CPUs. Luckily, with Windows 10 coming to ARM, the company can do just that. A Surface 4 powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor with full Win32 emulation would mean you could download your favorite programs from the web without being locked to the Windows Store. It just makes sense.

With that in mind, there are a few more things I'd like to see show up with a Surface 4 powered by ARM. The Surface 3 is an amazing little tablet that's great for light web browsing, email and games. But it's not perfect. Here's what I'm hoping Microsoft improves with the Surface 4.

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