Microsoft's $28.80 Windows 365 Cloud PC Runs Across Mac, iPad and Android

3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · May 30

A ZDNET test found Windows 365 delivered a near-native Windows 11 experience across PCs and Macs, while iPad and Android use was practical mainly with an external keyboard, mouse or larger display.
The reviewed setup used 2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage; first launch took a little over 2 minutes 30 seconds, but reconnects were about 10 seconds and Office, video and audio ran smoothly.
Microsoft's one-month trial covers up to 25 users, then shifts to promotional pricing of $28.80 a month for the base business plan, versus $36 normally; higher-end configurations rise to $192.93 monthly in year one.
The service is aimed at businesses using work or school accounts, especially hybrid teams and regulated industries, because IT can manage devices centrally and keep data in Microsoft's cloud instead of on employee hardware.
The trade-off is cost and connectivity: desktop Office and OneDrive require separate Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and the model depends on fast, reliable internet with little value for offline work.

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