Say hello to the Windows 365 Cloud PC

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2021-07-14 20:00:05

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

It's good to finally see Windows 365 Cloud PC arrive. I've been talking about Microsoft's Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) for years. (Yes, I know all about Windows 11, which I think is just a massive Windows 10 security patch. Windows 11 was never, contrary to what some people think, the future of Windows.)

When I say, "Windows running on the Azure cloud," I mean running on the cloud. There needs to be some kind of operating system on your PC, but, frankly, Microsoft doesn't care what you’re using. As Wangui McKelvey, Microsoft 365's General Manager, said: "Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud, securely streaming the full Windows experience — including all your apps, data, and settings — to your personal or corporate devices. This approach creates a fully new personal computing category, specifically for the hybrid world: the Cloud PC."

Microsoft explicitly states that you'll be able to stream all your personalized applications, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device. And it means any, including the Mac, iPads, Linux PCs, and Android devices. No matter what you're running, you'll get the same Windows experience. It also means "You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices."