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Microsoft appears to be planning to add a Cloud PC offering to Azure soon. It would consist of a virtual computer with Windows 10, accessible from any device for which the Microsoft Remote Desktop is available.

The rumour originates from ZDNet, which already reported the new product in July. With the Cloud PC, users can transform their own device into a thin client. The Remote Desktop app is available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

Specifications

ZDNet has now found out more about the Cloud PC offerings, mostly shared by Twitter user WalkingCat. He shares three levels customers can choose from, with slightly different specifications for the virtual computer. It appears there are Medium, Heavy and Advanced options.

  • Medium: 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 96GB SSD, “general-purpose optimized for cost and flexibility”
  • Heavy: 2 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, 96GB SSD, “advanced compute needs optimized for performance and speed”
  • Advanced: 3 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, 40GB SSD, “accelerated graphics optimized for scalability and data processing”

Domains

WalkingCat shows two domains that may be related to Cloud PC: dechutes.microsoft.com and cloudpc.microsoft.com. The first URL, after logging into a Microsoft account, leads to a message saying “Setting up your workspace. Check back later to see workspaces assigned to you.” The second page only shows a 403 error message.

The pages are clearly not yet available to the public, but WalkingCat has shared two screenshots. The first screenshot is a simple pop-up with a welcome message, but the second shows a menu where the user can choose from different machines to connect to.

Microsoft itself has not yet announced anything about the service, but ZDNet expects it to be available to customers from spring 2021. It is not known how much the service will cost.

Tip: Windows Virtual Desktop makes desktop virtualization widely available