Microsoft’s Windows 365 Link is a thin client device for shared workspaces

Microsoft will start selling a thin client device that lets workers boot directly to Windows 365 “in seconds,” the company announced on Tuesday. 

Windows 365 Link will cost $349 when it launches next April, but businesses can contact their Microsoft account team and request a private preview. The preview program is open to customers in a handful of countries: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand.

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“As cloud adoption has been growing, we’re starting to receive asks from customers for a Windows 365 endpoint that is secure, simple to manage, and gets them directly to Windows 365,” said Jalleen Ringer, product leader for Windows Cloud Endpoints, “and it gets them there fast.” 

Measuring 4.72 inches square and just over an inch thick, the device can easily be mounted behind a desktop monitor or under a desk, Microsoft said.

The Link will particularly suit organizations that have hybrid work arrangements in place, according to Microsoft, with employees sharing the same desks and monitors. With Link devices, workers can turn up to work without a laptop and access their own Windows 365 desktop via the cloud. 

“This would also be a great fit for call centers … and front-line workers who need to be able to log into their desktop from different areas around the factory, hospital, warehouse, etc,” said Tom Mainelli, IDC group vice president for device and consumer research. “What’s potentially very appealing about this relatively low-cost hardware is that it should drive a very good Windows 365 experience while helping to accentuate many of the manageability and security benefits of Windows 365.”

The device may not be a good fit for organizations that need more flexibility, however. “Those managing a mix of virtual desktop technologies, including Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, will need to consider alternative endpoints, as Link exclusively supports Windows 365,” said Stuart Downes, vice president analyst at Gartner. 

The Link comes with 8GB of RAM — more than enough to handle the 4GB minimum requirement Teams video calls. Microsoft also plans to support other video meeting software apps such as Cisco’s Webex. 

There’s also support for dual 4K monitors; four USB ports (three USB-A 3.2, one USB-C 3.2); one HDMI port; one DisplayPort; a 3.5mm headphone jack; an ethernet port; and a Kensington lock port. The device supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. 

The Link uses an Intel chip, but Microsoft declined to provide further detail on the processor and other hardware specs. 

Although the Link does not have a neural processing unit (NPU), by connecting to Windows 365, users can access the latest Windows 11 AI features coming to Copilot+ PCs — such as Recall and Click to Do  — via the cloud. 

The Link runs a lightweight version of Windows — Windows CPC — to authenticate and connect users to their PC running in the cloud, with minimal features such as settings. There are no local apps, no sensitive data stored on the device, and no local admin users. “With the small OS, we’re able to really dial up the security at the endpoint, reducing its attack surface and enabling a high security posture, all without impacting the experience,” said Ringer.

Microsoft has been testing the device with a small number of customers; Ringer claimed they’ve seen a lower total cost of ownership with the Link and Windows 365 (presumably compared to fleets of Windows-based laptops and PCs). That’s due, in part, to less time spent by IT on device setup, maintenance and user issue resolution.

Link customers still have to pay a monthly subscription fee for using Windows 365, but that could still make sense in terms of business costs.

“A Windows 365 subscription will typically cost more than buying a PC outright, but then you have to factor in the cost of managing that device and keeping it secure over its lifetime,” said Mainelli. “Many firms struggle to find enough IT professionals to manage their fleets. W365 can simplify this, and Microsoft’s new hardware may eliminate the roadblock of deciding what it should run on.”

Microsoft said the new device is the first iteration, with other form factors in development. The company also plans to work with original equipment manufacturer partners to  develop similar products. 

“The launch of Microsoft’s Surface devices previously spurred a wave of innovation among other device manufacturers,” said Downes. “Similarly, Windows 365 Link is expected to ignite advancements in the thin client market, which has seen limited hardware innovation in recent years.”

Gartner predicts that annual spending on Desktop as a Service (DaaS) will grow from $3.5 billion today to more than  $5 billion in 2028, he said.