After hearing rumors for a while, this week has finally come true. Microsoft has presented its new operating system in the cloud, a service dubbed Windows 365 . Thanks to it, we will be able to access our PC, our programs, data and settings from anywhere and on any device, be it Windows, Android, macOS, iOS or Linux. Everything is always available thanks to Azure, Microsoft’s great cloud. However, will it also be accessible to our pockets?
From the beginning we said that Windows 365 was going to be a service designed for small and medium-sized companies , leaving aside the domestic sphere. Microsoft’s goal is that workers, system administrators and company executives have access to its platforms from anywhere and can move without problems, whether for family or professional issues. Currently Microsoft already has other Cloud PC concepts working within Azure, although their availability is only for large companies.
With Windows 365, Microsoft wants to bring this concept to more users, also offering many different hardware configurations depending on the needs. And, if we want, we can also hire it at home for the day to day, although, probably, it is not worth it.
Windows 365 is going to be a VERY expensive service
The price of this service will vary depending on the hardware we decide to rent. And this goes from a processor, 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB of hard disk to 8 processors, 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB of hard disk.
Microsoft has not yet revealed all the prices that each of the modalities will have. However, one of the simplest units, with 2 vCPUs, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of hard drive space will be priced at $ 31 per month . Or what is the same, 372 dollars a year . And we remember that, with this power, Microsoft only recommends sporadic use, working from home and making limited use of Microsoft 365 programs and Adobe Reader.
The lowest modality will not vary much in price either, being able to go down, more or less, up to 25 dollars a month. A price that, taking into account the limited power, is not going to be of any use to us. In addition, we remember, being a service, as soon as we stop paying, we will have lost all the investment to date. We will not have hardware, we will not have software, we will have nothing.
A very specific and insufficient technology for domestic use
We cannot deny that Windows 365 is a revolution. But it is not something new, either, since Amazon WorkSpaces offers similar virtual cloud systems for a price that is around $ 35-40 per month. However, its limited power (in the cheapest modalities) makes it not useful even at home.
Any laptop that we can buy will have a power much higher than that offered by these computers in the cloud. And, although the initial investment may be somewhat higher (between 400 or 500 euros for a simple laptop), this will be ours, and in the long run it will be cheaper and we will not have to be paying every month for this service.
