‘Just the beginning of our Windows and Microsoft cloud integration’ says Windows boss
Microsoft has revealed plans to make cloudy Windows 11 PCs easily available from, and integrated with, its flagship OS on physical PCs, and hinted at much more integration between Redmond’s desktop operating system and its clouds. The software giant’s plan hinges on Cloud PC, the streamed-from-Azure Windows desktops launched in 2021 as a way to consume virtual PCs without having to learn the complexities of desktop virtualization. Cloud PCs can already be accessed through an application or a browser. Now, Microsoft has promised two new ways to make them available. One is called «Windows 365 Boot» and allows a user to boot directly into a Cloud PC from a physical PC, then choose the cloudy desktop as their «primary Windows experience». The other new offering is «Windows 365 Switch» and will permit switching between Cloud PC and the local desktop. A native Windows 365 app will launch the service directly from Start menu or Task Bar. Here’s a pic of Windows Switch. Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer for Windows + Devices, stated that the new offerings outlined above are coming «soon» to Windows 11 and will also be available from Windows 10. Something with firmer release date is Azure AD Join support for Cloud PCs, which Panay promised will debut in May.
