Microsoft’s Cloud PC service could arrive summer 2021

According to a new report from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is apparently gearing up to launch its Cloud PC service, which could arrive as soon as this summer.

Foley states that she’s hearing the tech giant may be aiming for a June or July launch of the service, potentially to coincide with Microsoft’s Inspire conference, which will be held from July 14 through July 15 as a digital event.

Reports on Microsoft’s Cloud PC service date back to last year, when the Azure-powered project was first rumored to be coming as soon as spring 2021. Now that spring 2021 is winding to a close, summer is the next best bet for any big announcements and service launches.

Details on the service are scarce, but ZDNet mentions that Microsoft plans to sell its new cloud service at a “flat per-user price.” It will be a managed Microsoft 365 experience, which makes sense given that its core functionalities are reportedly giving users remote access to a Windows desktop wherein they can utilize software such as the suite of useful programs that fall under the umbrella of Microsoft Office.

As mentioned in a Microsoft job posting with some relevance to the upcoming Cloud PC service, the goal of the service is to provide users with an always accessible, always up-to-date Windows experience that will enable productivity from anywhere.

Xbox Game Pass stands alone

One does not simply compare Xbox Game Pass to Spotify or Netflix

The industry frequently tries to draw comparisons between Xbox Game Pass and other subscription services like Netflix and Spotify. While the Netflix comparison can be useful to describe the service to the uninitiated, in reality, the comparisons don’t really stack up. Let’s get into it.