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Microsoft's New Cloud PC Service Can Stream Windows to Mac and iPad
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365 days in a year and in-line with Office 365 product. Windows 360 and Office 365 would sound a bit daft.
If Microsoft doesn't forget to finally make their interface driver policy user-oriented, this would actually be a new start beyond Citrix, even for professions operating beyond MS Office (eg CAD on iMac).
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Isn't this mostly a new name for Azure Virtual Desktop, which was a new name for Windows Virtual Desktop?
It's available (and kept up-to-date) every day of the year.
Except on leap years, where there's a one-day outage.
Office 365 seems to be rather successful.
I am all in favor of this if it can be done relatively lag free....I guess this is Microsoft's answer for Windows for Apple Silicon. Just stream it.
Still quite groundbreaking imo. This also means people on older machines who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 might be able to do so through this (assuming the minimum requirement is not Windows 11).
Few people stream video games so far. Videos and music, sure. (And even there: Apple Music and Spotify do local caching. If connection is poor, you can still listen to your recent songs. This approach is flat-out impossible with this streaming word processor.)
Why not stream the word processor? Well, for one, now you're no longer talking about consuming someone else's creative output, but putting your own data on someone else's computer. IOW, one reason why not to do this is privacy. Another is: no, you don't always have a "multi gigabit internet". You don't on a train, or on an airplane, or on vacation somewhere.
"Ah", you say, "but what about desktops? They're almost always connected." Sure, but if you're gonna invest $1-2k on a nice desk, chair, and computer anyway, why skimp on the most central tool you place on it?
It's a great product. And they're not stingy with the number of devices you're allowed to use.
This is for enterprises, this has less than nothing to do with Apple Silicon.I guess this is Microsoft's answer for Windows for Apple Silicon. Just stream it.
Still quite groundbreaking imo. This also means people on older machines who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 might be able to do so through this (assuming the minimum requirement is not Windows 11).
Will these cloud VMs have any sort of GPU besides Intel graphics? I’m interested but they would need a powerful GPU for my work. I usually use Quadros.
A lot of people in these comments sure do not understand what this product is for. Since over 90% of business work is done in Windows this is for enterprise use to lower hardware and software support costs. This is not for home users and is in no way something that competes with Apple because Apple is essentially a non-player in the space that this is targeted at.
Err, what if a company have M1 Macs and they want to use Windows as well? This can be a solution.
Groundbreaking? Sounds like Remote Desktop in a browser. Oh yah in a browser, that is groundbreaking. LOLI guess this is Microsoft's answer for Windows for Apple Silicon. Just stream it.
Still quite groundbreaking imo. This also means people on older machines who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 might be able to do so through this (assuming the minimum requirement is not Windows 11).
365 is what it will cost annually per seat.
Antitrust. Congress should force Microsoft to license windows on ARM on competing platforms! Ok that’s a bit much, but not more than the same arguments made elsewhere
If you're allowed to make up your own definition of what a monopoly is, like certain state AGs, then anything can be antitrust.
This may work for some but after I changed my main platform from Windows to Mac this year I just stuffed my Windows 10 desktop into a closet and connect into it when I need to using the MS RD app for MacOS. I now have the best of both worlds and don't have to work using off site equipment.
Interesting that Microsoft is not using their new, centred start menu in those slides.
"...but the company has been working from a roadmap that should see all its main services eventually move to a subscription model. "
You correct there. That is certainly Microsoft's plan, to get virtually everyone on a rental plan.
You correct there. That is certainly Microsoft's plan, to get virtually everyone on a rental plan.
My guess is corporates will lap it up. Perhaps we will see a resurgence of those thin clients that people like Wyse used to make back at the end of the nineties.
Having said that a nice side effect may be that Apple M1 customers have a solution to running Windows without buying another device.
If you need Windows, just get a Windows system and stick it next to your Apple Silicon system or create your own cloud at home. The pricing on these kinds of services tends to put me off - also, the requirement for a strong broadband connection which may not be available from time to time.