Microsoft has spent a great deal of time trying to keep customers away from ChromeOS and Apple’s iOS platform in recent times.
There have been many initiatives and a lot of them – Windows RT, Bing and Windows Phone – failed miserably. However, in 2017, Microsoft has something else in the pipeline which it hopes will succeed where RT failed.
It’s called Windows 10 Cloud and, like Google’s ChromeOS, it will be a lightweight version of Microsoft’s main Windows 10 platform.
Windows 10 Cloud will run the same Universal Apps that Windows 10 runs, just on a smaller, more lightweight iteration of Windows 10 designed, no doubt, for smaller and cheaper laptops and tablet devices.
Microsoft will be able to position it as low-cost or free to use option for PC makers, placing the platform in direct competition with Google’s ChromeOS platform.
The upshot of Windows 10 Cloud is that it has full support for Windows 10 applications via the Microsoft Store, which means it will have A LOT of functionality right off the bat.
“It’s not clear when Microsoft plans to deliver this new Windows 10 Cloud version,” notes The Verge, “but early references in the Creators Update to Windows 10 (due in April) suggest it could arrive soon. Microsoft may also be preparing to test the new version and deliver it later this year with the second planned update to Windows 10.”
Microsoft isn’t discussing this initiative in the public domain yet, however, so the name and branding could well change between now and April.
The Windows 10 Cloud name is a bit misleading too; it won’t be powered by the cloud solely, for example, though it will likely leverage cloud-based Microsoft applications heavily, just as Google uses Drive inside its ChromeOS.
Microsoft will no doubt outfit Windows 10 Cloud with its core applications too, meaning Bing and the like, in a bid to keep users inside Microsoft’s core ecosystem.
Expect more news about Windows 10 Cloud between now and April.
In the meantime, Alex has also put together a list of 2017's best value Windows 10 laptops and hybrid machines. Be sure to check them out in order to make some big savings!
