Since Google launched its browser-based operating system a few years ago, Microsoft has had a strong challenge in schools and colleges. Not only Chromebooks have proved to be cheaper, but their simplicity has made them a better choice for more than half schools in the US.
It looks like Microsoft is ready to fight with Chromebooks with a new version of its OS. ZDnet’s Mary Jo Foley reported that a new version of Windows 10 is in works, it will be called Windows 10 Cloud and Microsoft is designing the new OS so that it will only run apps available on Windows Store.
Apps on Windows Store are usually lighter than the traditional apps written in win32, and because Microsoft controls what apps appear on the Windows Store, it is far unlikely for users to get infected by malware via Windows Store than downloading them from different websites.
There is no official word about the release date of Windows 10 cloud by Microsoft. But the latest builds of Windows 10, which are now available to Windows Insiders, have references to the new OS version which suggests that it could arrive soon.
If you recall, Microsoft has tried and failed to do something similar with Windows RT. It was a locked down version of Windows that ran on ARM processors, and it only supported Windows Store apps, the reception of Windows RT was probably the worst among other OS releases in recent years, and Microsoft had to kill Windows RT in just a couple years.
Since then, the number of UWP apps have increased significantly and if Microsoft makes Windows 10 Cloud cheap or free for OEMs to install, maybe Microsoft has a chance of beating Chromebooks.
