The ARM64 inflection point: Is the channel ready for the new fleet reality?

For the better part of two decades, IT and Print resellers have enjoyed a relatively predictable baseline: the x86/64 Windows ecosystem. Whether a client was an enterprise firm, a medium-sized local business, or a regional academy trust, the underlying architecture driving their endpoints was largely standardized. When you deployed a print fleet, you knew exactly how the drivers were going to behave.

But in 2026, the “Standard Fleet” is officially dead.

Apple led the industry’s shift away from x86/64 with its ARM-based “Apple Silicon”, but for years, this hardware was largely restricted to executive suites or creative departments. However, the launch of the sub-$700 MacBook Neo (sub-$600 for education) this spring shattered that paradigm. Thanks to its aggressive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), it is now a highly appealing, cost-effective alternative to traditional Windows devices.

Combine this Apple resurgence with the rapid acceleration of Snapdragon-powered ARM64 Windows laptops, and we are witnessing a seismic shift in endpoint hardware. Boasting unmatched battery life and high performance at aggressive price points, this new generation of silicon is flooding the SMB and education sectors in unprecedented numbers.

For the channel, this is a fundamental shift in architecture that threatens to break traditional print deployments, and it’s happening on your watch.

The friction of the mixed fleet

When a customer rolls out a fleet of new ARM64 devices, the last thing on their mind is the office printer. They expect their users to open the lid, connect to the Wi-Fi, and hit “Print.”

Unfortunately, legacy print environments were simply not built for this level of silicon diversity. Traditional print management relies heavily on manual, x64-tailored driver deployment; introducing ARM64 devices causes immediate friction. Drivers fail to install, finishing options disappear, and help desks are overwhelmed by tickets from frustrated users who simply want to print.

In the eyes of the customer, the new laptops aren’t broken… your printers are.

This enablement gap creates a dangerous vulnerability for resellers. If you cannot ensure seamless connectivity between the latest endpoints and the print hardware, you risk losing the client’s trust and opening the door to competitors who promise a smoother workflow.

The pivot: From “hands-off” to automated queue deployment

Historically, many resellers could afford a hands-off approach to queue deployment, delivering the hardware and letting the customer’s IT team handle the rollout via traditional print servers.

But as those legacy print servers struggle to accommodate ARM64 and mixed-OS devices, leaving deployment to the customer leads straight to support escalations. To thrive in this new reality, the channel must pivot from simply “handing over drivers” to actively delivering automated queue deployment as a value-added solution.

Instead of leaving customers to manage a complex mix of drivers, resellers can guide them towards a silicon-agnostic, automated print enablement layer. By pushing a single, lightweight client, the system automatically detects the user’s OS and architecture, installing the correct print queues directly onto their machine. Whether an employee uses an x64 Windows laptop or a brand-new MacBook Neo, the print experience is identical, instantaneous, and zero-touch for IT.

The “whole floor” opportunity

While the influx of ARM64 devices presents a support challenge, it also creates one of the most lucrative opportunities the channel has seen in years.

By solving the mixed-fleet gap, you suddenly gain leverage over the entire environment. When you deploy a silicon-agnostic print queue to accommodate a customer’s new MacBooks, that same queue can, and should, manage every printer in the building, regardless of manufacturer.

This transforms a fragmented, multi-vendor setup into something that can be managed from a single pane of glass. Rather than competing purely on hardware margins, you secure deep control over the account, elevating your position to an indispensable Managed Services Provider (MSP) partner.

Unlocking out-of-cycle revenue

The most compelling reason to embrace this shift is the revenue model. You do not need to wait for a three-to-five-year hardware lease to expire.

Leading with software-driven enablement allows you to approach your existing customer base today with a high-value solution that immediately reduces their IT burden.

Crucially, it also serves as the perfect wedge to win net-new business. When a prospect is struggling with the print enablement of their new ARM-based fleet, a silicon-agnostic software solution becomes your ideal entry point. You can start small, deploying to unmanaged devices to solve their immediate crisis today. This “land and expand” approach builds trust, positioning you perfectly to secure the wider print ecosystem when the time is right.

The MacBook Neo and its Windows ARM counterparts are just the beginning of a much larger revolution in print architecture. As operating systems continue to evolve, channel partners who stop selling “boxes” and start selling cross-platform enablement are the ones who will own the fleets of the future.