Windows 10 Cloud edition aimed at cheap PCs, runs only UWP apps

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Microsoft might release it alongside Windows 10 Creators Update.

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Read more.

Whoever would want this?

Windows 8.1 with Bing was a smart move on Microsoft's behalf, but this...

And while I do share Tim Sweeney's dislike for everything Windows 10, I do think he's gone a bit off the rail here.

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Originally Posted by azrael-

Whoever would want this?

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Very few people, but will most people realise what they're getting? Remember the original Netbooks with Linux, people thought they were 'real PCs' with Windows and sent them back. Now you'll be able to walk into PC World, hand over your money for a 'real PC' and end up with something they can't install normal applications on.

So a "Cloud" edition that doesn't actually feature any unique or improved cloud based features? I think even for free that sounds like a con to someone who wanted it for its assumed practicality.

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Originally Posted by jimbouk

Very few people, but will most people realise what they're getting? Remember the original Netbooks with Linux, people thought they were 'real PCs' with Windows and sent them back. Now you'll be able to walk into PC World, hand over your money for a 'real PC' and end up with something they can't install normal applications on.

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Well, there's always a silver lining - I don't think you'll see as much bloatware on one of these machines...

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Originally Posted by Ozaron

Well, there's always a silver lining - I don't think you'll see as much bloatware on one of these machines...

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You've seen Windows 10 right? Candy Crush being installed automatically. I hate to think what else they'll push to people's machines when they're giving away the OS for free...

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Originally Posted by jimbouk

You've seen Windows 10 right? Candy Crush being installed automatically. I hate to think what else they'll push to people's machines when they're giving away the OS for free...

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Egh, you're right. Sorry, it's been a while since I had to deal with that stuff on my machine. I was thinking more along the lines of the standard Dell bloat, Acer e-Empower or whatever they shovel in nowadays on the default system configs you get at PC World etc., since that's the type of system and situation that we're expecting.

so something is potentially going to be offered for free, no one is forced to get it, and folk are moaning about it?

sounds like a good idea to me. I presume if the device works with it then you can upgrade to a different version of windows, unlike a chrome book. some of the chrome books look decent, but they have little use to me if they don't run windows, and they aren't even that cheap

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Originally Posted by Unique

I presume if the device works with it then you can upgrade to a different version of windows, unlike a chrome book. some of the chrome books look decent, but they have little use to me if they don't run windows, and they aren't even that cheap

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I expect you will have as much chance of upgrading to another version of Windows as you would with a Chromebook, ie deep hackery to none. If you can get one with 32GB of flash (the Chromebook at home only has 16GB) then you are just left with trying to find the driver disks. If the machine uses a Qualcomm CPU instead of an expensive Intel one (because this sounds like a "cellular PC" to me) then that will be even more fun.

I would have thought your best chance was registry hacks and add some DLLs to convince the machine it was on another product, if you can get it to accept a new license key.

Meh, good luck with all that. My kids have cheap 2 in 1 "laptops" that are basically similar spec to these cloud Windows machines, so if that is what you want just buy one of those. They already exist, and are already cheap, and already allow programs to be installed. With only 32GB of flash I needed to plug in a USB stick to have enough storage to do the last Windows update, even with almost nothing installed on there. But cloud machines are for a different class of user, like schools where if someone is having machine problems they just re-flash to factory default and hand it back to the pupil to log into because nothing was ever stored on the machine to lose.

If they release it, I fully expect a stream of cloud products to go with it, much like adobe do with creative cloud on Chromebooks.

They want a monthly sub from you.....

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Originally Posted by Unique

so something is potentially going to be offered for free, no one is forced to get it, and folk are moaning about it?

sounds like a good idea to me. I presume if the device works with it then you can upgrade to a different version of windows, unlike a chrome book. some of the chrome books look decent, but they have little use to me if they don't run windows, and they aren't even that cheap

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I think it's better if you can get any updates...

Too many andriod devices are out there with gaping security holes.

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

I think it's better if you can get any updates...

Too many andriod devices are out there with gaping security holes.

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This is exactly why when my kids needed their ageing Android tablets replacing I went for Windows 10 tablets (actually 2 in 1 but close enough). The kids don't like them so they hardly get used, which I suppose adds to their security :(

They are nicer kit than the cheap Chinese tablets they had before as well, specially the Asus Transformer.

Tim Sweeny is a moron.

This is meant for Chromebooks which are hugely popular and displacing PC's and Mac's in the education market, Google intends to kill off Windows in the long run and Chromebooks are the start of this process (& they are doing very well).

So the crazy rants from Sweeny are completely self defeating as with no Chromebook competitor for the education market Windows dies a little more and PC gaming will ultimately too along with it.

Locking down a desktop Windows PC with admin controls is nothing like a Chromebook, they are far more easy to use and more bulletproof with less to go wrong. The ability to install something like steam is a complete liability in this market, no one wants it in the education sector.

Sweeny is a short sighted idiot who only cares about his own out of date interests. If the wider PC market collapses so does PC gaming and no MS dont want to kill off desktop for christs sake.

Calling it.

This is a step towards a future where Windows software will only be available over UWP.

First Win 10 Cloud edition, then progressively encompassing other Windows editions in the future, possibly even starting with Windows 10 Home though an 'update'.

And, the majority of users won't care, they'll get Office for 'free' and a heap of 'free' ad-supported software. MS will make a mint out of subscriptions and UWP software fees.

And I won't touch it...

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Originally Posted by Kato-2

This is meant for Chromebooks which are hugely popular and displacing PC's and Mac's in the education market, Google intends to kill off Windows in the long run and Chromebooks are the start of this process (& they are doing very well).

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I've heard that a lot but never seen any proof of it, I'm not saying some Chromebooks aren't being bought by the education sector BTW, just that i would assume the education sector is tiny when compared to other markets, restricting your market seems a bit daft.

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Originally Posted by Corky34

I've heard that a lot but never seen any proof of it, I'm not saying some Chromebooks aren't being bought by the education sector BTW, just that i would assume the education sector is tiny when compared to other markets, restricting your market seems a bit daft.

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Google isn't restricting the market, I think it is more that that market embraced Google.

I gather it is just the American education market as well, not anywhere else. Still, that is a lot of machines and potentially a lot of people who grow up with ChromeOS so switching to anything else will be a re-learning exercise. Get them while they are young...

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Originally Posted by DanceswithUnix

I gather it is just the American education market as well, not anywhere else. Still, that is a lot of machines and potentially a lot of people who grow up with ChromeOS so switching to anything else will be a re-learning exercise. Get them while they are young...

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Ah that's like RISC OS then :)