You’ve been hearing about Windows 10 Cloud for a long time . This concept has sometimes been associated with a new operating system in the cloud, others with a form of Windows 10 always connected, and it has even been thought that it was nothing more than a rumor, something without consistency. However, little by little Cloud PC has been gaining weight, and, although it is not yet available, thanks to a series of leaks we can know what Microsoft is referring to with this new concept, or rather, cloud service.
Windows 10 Cloud PC is, broadly speaking, a new experience of virtualization in the cloud. Thanks to it, any system administrator will be able to have access to a complete Windows 10 system from anywhere just by needing an Internet connection. Nothing to install, and nothing to configure. Thanks to this virtualized system, the administrator will be able to access the configuration of all the computers on the company network from anywhere, provide support and even take care of updates and improvements. It is a first step towards the well-known ” Windows as a Service “, or “WaaS”.
This new service is not intended to replace Windows 10 or Windows Server in the company, but to complement and improve them.
A Windows 10 for administrators only
Windows 10 Cloud PC comes to be, broadly speaking, an improved version of the current Windows Virtual Desktop . This new virtual PC in the cloud runs within Azure , Microsoft’s Cloud Computing platform to offer all users who need it a desktop as a service, an always available service through which they can control and manage any system infrastructure .
Currently, Microsoft intends to offer administrators 3 virtual Cloud PC systems:
- Medium: 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM and 96 GB of SSD.
- Heavy: 2 vCPUs, 8 GB of RAM and 96 GB of SSD.
- Advanced: 3 vCPUs, 8 GB of RAM and 40 GB of SSD.
These systems in the cloud can be opened from any web browser, and even connect to them from any remote desktop application, both Windows and macOS as well as Android and iOS.
Cloud PC will be part of Windows 10X
Windows 10 Cloud PC is going to be focused mainly for companies. However, this does not mean that it will be used exclusively for them. What’s more, this new service may be much more integrated between us than we might imagine. And all thanks to Windows 10X .
The main limitation of Windows 10X is the inability to run Win32 applications, leaving the system limited only to UWP programs. Recently, Microsoft introduced the Cloud PC APIs in the Microsoft Graph API , which means that the new tablet operating system could run 32-bit and 64-bit Win32 applications through the Cloud PC. What we no longer know is how it will do it or if the user will have to pay a subscription to be able to enjoy this infrastructure. It may even only be used by companies on their employees’ tablets.
Windows 10 Cloud PC Availability
At the moment, this new Microsoft service is only in beta. This means that we will not be able to contract or access it, unless we have been chosen for this purpose.
If all goes well, Windows 10 Cloud PC should hit the market alongside Windows 10X, that is, in the second quarter of 2021, between April and June . However, for now we do not know much more about this new service, which will undoubtedly give a lot to talk about next year.
