"Windows cloud PCs have gone from Microsoft's side project to the centerpiece of its post‑Windows‑10 strategy. But the story in 2026 is less "death of the PC" and more "merger of PC, cloud, and AI under Microsoft's terms." Today, the most interesting question is not whether Windows moves to the cloud, but how much local control users are willing to surrender in exchange for AI‑infused desktops."
"For the longest time, Microsoft had planned on the Windows 365 Cloud PC to shift users from a PC‑centric world to Desktop‑as‑a‑Service, with Windows 11 acting as the on‑ramp. Microsoft's own internal slideware later made that explicit: the plan is to " move Windows 11 increasingly to the cloud... to enable a full Windows operating system streamed from the cloud to any device.""
Windows is moving from standalone PCs toward cloud-hosted Windows cloud PCs and Desktop-as-a-Service. Windows 365 has evolved from a side project to a central post‑Windows‑10 strategy, with Business and Enterprise editions on Azure priced roughly $30–$60 per user per month. Windows 365 Boot bypasses local operating systems to deliver personalized cloud desktops on shared or BYOD hardware, while Windows 365 Switch blurs the boundary between local and hosted sessions. Windows App enables Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and remote PCs to run on many devices. The central tradeoff is how much local control users will surrender for AI‑infused, cloud-streamed desktops.
Read at Computerworld
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