A few years ago, Microsoft introduced Windows 365 as a way to let business customers stream a Windows 11 desktop to just about any device. Now there’s evidence that the company could be planning to offer something similar for consumers… if it can convince anyone to pay to a monthly fee for the service.
Windows in the cloud makes some sense for enterprise users – it’s easier for IT admins to manage, and it allows each user to access their work “computer” from anywhere. But for most individual users, Windows is just that thing that comes with your laptop or desktop computer. Why would you pay extra for it just so you could access it on your phone or tablet too?
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
Microsoft wants to move Windows fully to the cloud [The Verge]
Microsoft is considering a consumer-focused version of Windows 365, allowing users to stream a Windows desktop from the cloud “to any device,” effectively turning phones, tablets, or dumb terminals into Windows PCs (for a subscription price).
Prices for the enterprise version currently range from $28 per user per month for the equivalent of a basic PC with 2 CPU cores, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage to $158 for an 8-core virtual PC with 32GB of RAM 512GB of storage.Â
RIP to my Pixel Fold: Dead after four days [Ars Technica]
Pixel Fold reviews are starting to come in. For the most part it seems like a pretty nice, if expensive device. But it’s fragile. Ars Technica’s headline tells (almost) a whole story. But it’s worth clicking through for details.Â
Someone already broke a Pixel Fold display, but Google will let you fix it yourself [9to5Google]
Sure, the Pixel Fold is fragile. But it might also be a little easier to repair than most foldable phones. Google is working with iFixit to offer official repair parts and guides for the Pixel Fold, making it the first phone with a foldable OLED display with officially sanctioned DIY repair resources.
ReactOS newsletter (2022 / 2023 news) [ReactOS]
The ReactOS team’s latest newsletter (the first since 2021) explains why releases have slowed to a crawl, explores the status of the 64-bit port (it’s almost usable, but won’t run 32-bit apps), and more details about this open source Windows Windows NT clone.
Say Hello to Meta Quest+, Our New VR Subscription Service [Meta]
Meta Quest+ subscription service lets you redeem 2 VR games per month for $7/month or $60/year and keep playing them “as long as you’re a Meta Quest+ subscriber.” Cancel your membership and your library disappears.
Turning the Nokia 2780 into a Linux phone [@[email protected]]
Take a Nokia-branded feature phone, sprinkle it with a little Linux-based postmarketOS and then add the BananaUI graphical user interface for feature phones and “it’s now almost possible to use it as an actual phone!”
Weekly GNU-like Mobile Linux Update [LinMOB]
The Debian-based Mobian mobile GNU/Linux distro no works on Pine64’s PineTab 2.
Keep up on the latest headlines by following @[email protected] on Mastodon. You can also follow Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook, and keep up with the latest open source mobile news by following LinuxSmartphones on Twitter and Facebook.
I think Microsoft could have more success with SAAS if it was priced lower. Streaming services became popular when prices dropped.
I really can’t get my head around why anyone pays for Windows. :/
And I don’t get the logic of using SaaS either. I hear that Miscro$oft’s cloud offering has gone down half a dozen times already this year – is there compensation for that? Time, apparently, being money?
Most people are roped into buying windows because most pc’s come with it preinstalled and the price of windows is already hidden in the price total. Sometimes you may have the option when ‘building’ from the manufacturer to have free dos only and save a meager 20$ as they won’t refund you the full value of windows. You may also be able to sell/transfer your windows product key to someone else if you have the patience for that.
Now we can buy a chrome, android or even linux machine.
Anyone remember Windows Refund Day?
Why hasn’t this unfair business advantage been outlawed yet?
At least there are at least options now. Maybe opt for Tux or System76. Perhaps get used to using smartphone + headset display as a primary device, idk the future.
Pixel user had the best 4 days of his life!
“Would you stream Windows 11 from the cloud?”
No, I would not. Not Windows 11, not Windows 30.
I would not stream it from a cloud, I would not stream it in a shroud.
When this happens, I am through. I hate SaaS, and so should you.
lol
haha.
The real question is, will we end up in a situation where I don’t have a choice but to stream windows 11 to, I don’t know, I guess it would be a phone.
I want to hope not. Saying words that the ad customers and government don’t like and then losing all your data and your ability to do anything with it becomes a real possibility then. But only way out is if more people insist on running everything themselves, and that does not look likely.
It’s unlikely that they will kill non-cloud version, but many new powerful features like Copilot will be cloud-only anyway, just like Photoshop performs image generation/inpainting in the cloud just because most PCs will not be able to handle models they have (and also, they probably do not want to expose it). Non-cloud users will be left with inferior opensource solutions, that will be still good for non-professional needs. Funny, its even cheaper now to use it in cloud than locally.
I’d actually ok with having some applications been run completely on the cloud, like it now happens with games, and many apps that used to be standalone are now used online anyway: not many people use local mail clients for example, many developers use cloud-based IDEs, I personally even don’t use installable IM clients preferring web versions.
It’s only cheaper to use services as software substitutes, if you don’t value having independent thought.
“independent” also meaning not having someone else, usually someone who wants to sell you something or sell you on something or otherwise get you in line with what’s more profitable, and will shut down your service if someone accuses you of saying something wrong, like that guy who got falsely accused by an amazon delivery driver, read it.
Of course, what kind of monster would ever think independently in 2023?
You are messing up business and personal things. FOSS playgrounds can only get you so far in business (unless you get backed up by Google or something). Using Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack or even something like Office 365 is basically a must now in order to be competitive unless you can grow up enough to benefit from economies of scale and move to some ‘independent’ solutions. Using half baked never-good-enough tools will not cut it in business. Compare PinePhone that ‘has camera usually working’ and any mainstream phone that just gets things done. Same for business. You know, Chris McCandless was “independent”.
Or you can buy a folding ‘smart; phone for 2 grand that breaks in 4 days
How did we ever manage to run businesses before the cloud I wonder…
Yeah, exactly. It’s the reason I had to give up using LibreOffice (there were always minor problems when people would open the files in Word, like formatting, or issues with highlighting, etc). And since I can’t exactly ask people hiring me to change the software they use just for me, I had to change to what they use. Thankfully they are still offering standalone versions of Office but who knows how long that will last.
I don’t really know the point you’re trying to make here. What are some examples of these “independent thought” that you feel gets people shut down?
What can I even say? If I clarified you could likely and easily condemn it and say it deserves to be obliterated. No matter how mild or acceptable the idea once was. Perhaps you’ll claim I’m paranoid and don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’ve been through a lot of arguments, so it’s pretty trivial for me to imagine the exact insults and arguments anyone could use for any point I might care to make about how the world could be better. I don’t want to waste the effort anymore. Nothing will change.
Hey I’ll give you some examples! Covid19 was created in a lab in Wuhan China, funded by the US government. Green energy typically isn’t very green. Processed lab grown fake meat is not better for you than real meat. 2020 US election was fake, but so was every other election. Mainstream media is a propaganda arm of the government. George Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose (along with many other drugs in his system) and not from a maneuver that cops have been using for decades.
And that’s just quick spit balling highlights from the last 4 years. All of these phrases put you on the naughty list and get you sent to detention. Now imagine a future where “you’ll own nothing and be happy”, and everything you use is now a “smart” device that is connected to the internet, that surveils everything you look at, say and do, and is controlled by a select few who have already clearly demonstrated their ability and power to censor, detain, de-bank (is that a word?) and ultimately remove a person from current society for saying the wrong thing.
It’s not so much independent thought as in we’re the only ones who are seeing these issues and talking about it, we’re not unique, I share the same views as millions of other people, it’s more so independent from govern-mentally controlled thinking. And if you’re not sure if the government would ever use such power against us, or could even conceive such devious acts, I recommend looking at history, like.. all of it.
Anyways, can’t wait for everything to be cloud based, I love not actually owning anything!
Perhaps, but I’ve been chewing on this today, and I kind of came up with a “worst case” scenario. If Microsoft chose to make an all-cloud pc version for consumers, not only would this be incredibly bad for privacy – but I think it would stifle computer innovation.
Worst case, perhaps makers will start making computers with only dual core processors with 2 or 4GB of RAM, cause that’s all you’d need to run Windows 365 Boot…
What need would there be for the average consumer for anything more powerful than that? Hey, buy that new Windows Boot certified computer and get your first 90 days of Windows 365 free!!
IF this were to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be more supply chain attacks against FOSS (you know, hurt the competition). Enthusiast computers will increase in price dramatically as well.
Worst case I know, and you’re probably right, it might not happen. But with all these hit pieces hitting all over the internet about Microsoft considering doing 365 boot only (it’s not a coincidence, they’re trying to gauge public opinion), I think they’re seriously considering it. Gotta rake in those bucks some how.
Love it or hate it, I personally think the future of personal PC devices is most likely going to look something like the S23 Phablet + Samsung Galaxy smart Glasses (not the Apple Scuba goggles) combo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hX_-ctVA18
That’s just a monitor you wear on your face. People will always have the option not to use that, especially if OS vendors keep dawdling on convergence to try and make sure phone sales don’t eat into laptop sales and vice versa.
But it might happen anyway, if Microsoft manages to pay enough outlets to try and sell the public on the idea that we can get closer to net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 by totally surrendering our operating systems. Push hard enough, and they could actually cause critics to be banned for “spreading misinformation” about climate change while posts praising the idea stay up.
Can’t reply to Some Guy, but this is responding to your post….
All those massive data centers that would be needed to make this work would require a lot of power, though, and that will have to come from somewhere.