There have been a lot of rumors recently about Microsoft launching a cloud based Windows iteration. As the company pivots Office from product to service it doesn’t seem entirely impossible that the company might attempt something similar with Windows. Rumor has it that Microsoft would use a subscription model for Windows 365 but the company hasn’t confirmed anything as yet. A new report suggests that these rumors might not be true and Microsoft may never push Windows into the cloud.
This comes from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley who has a strong track record when it comes to all things Microsoft. After asking around Foley hears from her contacts that Microsoft is not even working on anything called Windows 365 and that it has no plans to get customers to “subscribe” to Windows even though it has been able to get 3.5 million subscribers for Office 365 Home and Personal.
The argument against moving Windows into the cloud is a strong one. For starters its a platform and not a service. Moreover majority of the customers don’t exactly buy Windows directly since they always get the latest iteration pre-installed on a new machine. Buy a laptop or a tablet from any of Microsoft’s hardware partners and you wouldn’t have to worry about buying Windows separately.
Plus on the consumer front Microsoft has already made Windows free for all phones and tablets that have displays under nine inches. So at this point in time a subscription based iteration of Windows really might not make any sense. Foley is certain that nothing like the rumored Windows 365 is on the cards for now.
Filed in . Read more about Microsoft, Office 365 and Windows.