Next spring, Microsoft will release a new mini-PC built around its Windows 365 cloud service; the Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini-PC that connects to the cloud and streams Windows 11.

Cloud PC computing in conjunction with Windows 365 has been around since 2021; Windows 365 is a service that allows companies to connect employees to virtual machines via the cloud and stream them to multiple devices. In its announcement, Microsoft said that as more companies and organizations adopt Windows 365, it was felt that businesses needed a device that “improves user productivity, enhances security, increases IT efficiency, and advances sustainability.”

The Link mini PC is a compact, fanless device intended to be an easy-to-use cloud PC that connects to monitors and peripherals. When released for consumer use, it will be one of the best mini PCs available. [The combination of cloud-powered performance and local processing makes Windows 365 Link an ideal solution for IT professionals looking to improve the productivity of desk-based workers in their organizations,” Anthony Smith He wrote.

The device is designed to be secure, with nothing but the operating system running on the device.

The PC is clearly for businesses and organizations, but it hints at a more cloud-based computing future. Cloud computing has existed in some form since at least the earliest versions of AWS in 2005.

Unlike sudden leaps in technology such as smartphones (the iPhone was first released in 2005) or the sudden need for AI in everything, cloud technology has developed slowly over the past 30 years. There have been attempts at more consumer-oriented cloud products, especially in the gaming sector, such as the failed Google Stadia.

The link suggests that Microsoft will try cloud computing in earnest on the business side, where systems are already built and insulated, before offering a consumer version.

In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft executives revealed that Link is a Copilot PC with AI capabilities and will open the cloud PC category to OEM partners. It sounds like a business product that could be a good test bed for future consumer mini-PCs.

Measuring 4.72“ x 4.72” x 1.18”, the compact PC has three USB-A 3.2 ports, one USB-C 3.2 port, one DisplayPort and HDMI port, and an Ethernet jack. It also has Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

According to Microsoft, a preview version of Windows 365 Link is available now, but the mini-PCs will not be available for purchase until April 2025 in “select markets.” Presumably this will include the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.