Microsoft has announced Windows 365, a new Cloud PC service that allows users to stream a Windows desktop via web browser to any device, including Macs and iPads.
The service works similar to the company's Xbox Cloud Gaming service – the Windows OS is loaded on a remote computer in the cloud, and Microsoft streams the entire desktop PC experience to the user's device. Microsoft is calling it a "hybrid Windows for a hybrid world" where office and remote working interchange.
Windows 365 provides an instant-on boot experience that enables users to stream all their personalized applications, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device including your Mac, iPad, Linux device, and Android," explained Microsoft 365 general manager Wangui McKelvey. "The Windows experience is consistent, no matter the device. You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices."
Users will be able to choose the configuration of the virtual PC, such as the amount of storage and working memory. According to Microsoft, a cloud PC can be configured with up to 512GB and 16GB of RAM.
There will be two edition options with multiple Cloud PC configurations based on performance needs: Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise. Information and files are encrypted and stored in the cloud, to avoid security concerns about leaving sensitive data on local devices.
The service will launch in early August and, initially at least, will be offered to business customers on a per-user, per-month subscription basis. Microsoft hasn't mentioned whether a personal product is in the works, but the company has been working from a roadmap that should see all its main services eventually move to a subscription model.
Assuming Microsoft offers a consumer plan down the line, not only should Windows 365 offer a full desktop experience on iPads, it may appeal to owners of Apple silicon Macs who are unable to run Windows through Boot Camp.
Monday December 16, 2024 10:06 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.
iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software update.
There's no word yet on what's included in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, ...
Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year.
Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie.
The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...
Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
Tuesday December 17, 2024 6:25 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Monday seeded the first tvOS 18.3 beta to developers for testing. The update will likely be released in January. So far, there are only minor changes for the Apple TV, with one new feature and a few code changes discovered.
Below, we outline what is new in tvOS 18.3 so far.
Robot Vacuum Support in Home App
First, tvOS 18.3 will add robot vacuum support to the Home app on the...
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital."
In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
It's available (and kept up-to-date) every day of the year.
Except on leap years, where there's a one-day outage.
The best talent people at Microsoft have is placing forgettable names on their products that will only end up remembered in time for the biggest failure they were.
I guess this is Microsoft's answer for Windows for Apple Silicon. Just stream it. :D 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).
