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A Microsoft Windows 365 Link device with a dual-monitor setup. (Microsoft Photo, click to enlarge.)
Microsoft will offer its own device that automatically connects to Windows 365, the subscription service that lets business users stream its PC operating system to devices over a network connection.
Dubbed Windows 365 Link, the new device was announced Tuesday morning at the company’s Ignite conference for IT pros in Chicago. It will sell for $349 starting in April 2025, geared for volume purchases by businesses.
Microsoft’s new Cloud PC will compete with devices including Chromebox machines that connect to Google’s ChromeOS, and the Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client, which was adapted from the Fire TV Cube.
Windows 365 Link has a fanless design, with the ability to boot quickly and wake instantly from sleep, according to the company.
There’s no local data storage, and no admin privileges for users. The device supports dual 4K monitors, with four USB ports, an audio port, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.
Microsoft introduced Windows 365 in 2021. The subscription service can stream the Microsoft operating system to devices including Mac, iPad, Linux, and Android.
Other Windows announcements at Ignite include a new Quick Machine Recovery feature, which addresses one of the challenges illustrated by the massive CrowdStrike outage impacting Windows machines in July.
The new service “will enable IT administrators to execute targeted fixes from Windows Update on PCs, even when machines are unable to boot, without needing physical access to the PC,” writes Pavan Davaluri, corporate vice president for Windows and Devices, in a Microsoft post. “This remote recovery will unblock your employees from broad issues much faster than what has been possible in the past.”
