Microsoft's bringing Windows to iPad, but not how you might think

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Windows 11 Cloud Pc
Windows 11 Cloud Pc (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft has announced Windows 365, a new cloud-based PC offering.
  • Users will be able to run a Windows 10 or Windows 11 instance from inside any modern web browser.
  • Cloud PCs will work in Safari on iPads and Macs.

Microsoft has announced Windows 365, a new cloud-based PC offering that will allow people to run a full Windows 10 or Windows 11 instance via any modern web browser. And yes, that means you'll be able to run Windows in Safari on your iPad.

Microsoft says the Cloud PC will offer the full Windows experience, including all of the apps you'd expect to be able to run.

We're excited to announce Windows 365, a cloud service that introduces a new way to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11 (when it's generally available later this calendar year) for workers from interns and contractors to software developers and industrial designers. Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud, securely streaming the full Windows experience—including all your apps, data, and settings—to your personal or corporate devices. This approach creates a fully new personal computing category, specifically for the hybrid world: the Cloud PC.

The idea of running a PC in the cloud isn't a new one, but it's the first time Microsoft has taken this approach. Being able to run everything via a web browser also means that there won't be any issues with getting a client app into the App Store — something the likes of Shadow have struggled with.

Microsoft says Cloud PCs will come with up to 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM and users can configure their machines based on their needs, too.

Microsoft will be making Windows 365 available on August 2, 2021 but it will only be available to business users. You won't be playing games on this thing any time soon, unfortunately.

Don't yet have an iPad ready for Windows 365? Check out our list of the best iPad for different people and needs.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.