Microsoft builds a $349 mini desktop, but only for accessing Windows in the cloud

Microsoft is announcing some new hardware today, but it’s a bit different from a typical Surface device. The Windows 365 Link, which launches in April for $349, is a mini desktop PC that exists exclusively to connect to the Windows 365 cloud service rather than running Windows locally.

The Windows 365 Link is a plain black plastic box with a Windows logo imprinted on the top—it looks like a smaller, squarer version of the Windows Dev Kit 2023, an Arm desktop that Microsoft released for developers a couple of years ago. The box has one USB-A port on the front for easy access. On the back, you get a single USB-C 3.2 port, two more USB-A ports, a full-size DisplayPort, a full-size HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a power jack.

Windows Central reports that the device is fanless, uses an unspecified Intel processor, and includes 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It runs a cut-down Windows variant that exists only to connect to local peripherals and make contact with Microsoft’s Windows 365 service. When not connected to the Internet, the PC is mostly non-functional, though there is presumably some kind of basic UI available for connecting to networks and accessories locally.

Windows 365 Link’s hardware is fairly capable as thin clients go—the local hardware doesn’t need to be able to run high-end apps, but it does need to connect to all of your desktop peripherals and your network. Microsoft says the box supports two 4K displays simultaneously and supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for connecting to wireless networks and keyboards, mice, headsets, and other accessories. Microsoft also says the device’s local hardware will handle video encoding and decoding for videoconferencing.