Microsoft is giving substance to its concept of a PC in the cloud with its Windows 365 Link, a “fake computer” that looks like a mini PC used only to control a virtual machine via its Windows 365 service. Original! :
We have been saying it for years, and our numerous tests bear witness to it: the mini PC is the future of the desktop computer. Because if they cannot yet compete with gaming computers, these miniature computers very advantageously replace the ugly and bulky towers of yesteryear in many situations. Tiny – some models actually fit in one hand –, energy efficient – they consume only a few watts, unlike PCs equipped with large power supplies and oversized graphics cards… – and often very elegant, they deliver performance more than sufficient to take support all classic applications – office, Internet browsing, video playback, etc. –, and much more for ultra-powerful high-end models, while offering much richer connectivity than laptop PCs.
Apple has understood this well by revisiting its famous Mac mini, now equipped with an M4 chip: a truly impressive model – undoubtedly the best Mac produced by Apple in years – which is currently causing a lot of ink to flow and which could well become a best seller, especially since its basic version is particularly affordable – 699 euros at list price! And, by a curious calendrical coincidence, it was a few days after the release of this little gem that Microsoft decided to unveil a new type of computer that could appear similar: the Windows 365 Link.
Windows 365 Link: an interface for controlling a PC in the cloud
In fact, with its ultra-compact metal case (120 x 120 x 30 mm), the machine appears at first glance as a simple mini PC. It is also equipped with several classic ports and interfaces for connecting peripherals and connecting to networks (HDMI, DisplayPort, four USB sockets including one USB-C, Ethernet port, stereo audio minijack socket, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3), with support for up to two 4K displays. But its characteristics are surprising in their “lightness”: in fact, its processor is a basic Intel N100 model, associated with only 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of SSD storage. Not enough to comfortably run serious applications, even modest ones, especially since no data can be stored!
To put it another way, and more clearly, the Windows 365 Link is not a real PC: it is a new generation “thin client”. More precisely, it is a device used to use a PC online, in cloud mode, in this case via Microsoft’s Windows 365 service. It is only used to manage a few essential peripherals (keyboard, mouse, screens) and to display what a remote virtual PC is doing. A sort of super controller serving only as an interface to control a computer running on Microsoft servers via the Internet. Nothing to do with the real and powerful mini PCs from Geekom, Beelink, Minisforum and others, nor even with the famous Mac mini from Apple, which are all complete and autonomous computers!
In fact, Windows 365 Link is not aimed at the general public, but at companies that wish to equip their employees with machines that simply allow access to a computer in the cloud via the Windows 365 online service. Everything has been designed in this sense, with obviously maximum security: the firmware would be completely waterproof and tamper-proof, and the whole thing would work with a minimalist version of Windows 11 called Windows CPC, without any local application. Everything is designed for online operation only, through an authenticated connection system linked to accounts, all by subscription.
There is therefore no question of relying on Windows 365 Link to replace a traditional desktop PC. Especially since its official price of 349 dollars, excluding taxes, for the United States does not make it a serious competitor for real mini PCs, when we know that we find complete and better equipped models for lower prices . no wonder Microsoft didn’t call it PC at all, nor that this product is not integrated into the Surface range. It remains to be seen whether it will find its audience.