Microsoft Goes Thin Client With $349 Windows 365 Link Mini PC

Ignite Microsoft is having a go at the terminal market with a device purpose-built to connect to Windows 365, imaginatively named "Windows 365 Link."

Windows 365 Link – Pic: Microsoft

Now in preview, the device is fanless and does not run any local apps or have any local storage. It does, however, allow for some local processing for "high-fidelity experiences" such as WebEx or Teams, but is squarely aimed at connecting to a Windows desktop in the Microsoft cloud.

There's the usual plethora of ports – dual 4K monitor support, four USB ports, an audio port, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. There is also an inexplicably high price for what is effectively a jumped-up terminal. For example, Dell sells the OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client for approximately $300, which makes the MSRP of $349 for the Windows 365 Link device when it reaches general availability in April 2025 all the more surprising.

The Register can reveal the device does not include Surface branding either.

We asked if that $349 MSRP included a Windows 365 license, but Microsoft has yet to respond. Windows 365 itself goes all the way to $319 per user per month for a 16 vCPU Cloud PC with 64 GB RAM and 1 TB of storage. Even the basic 2 vCPU Cloud PC with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage costs $32 per user per month. A few dollars can be shaved off both prices by going down the Windows Hybrid Benefit route.

The Windows 365 Link device is not Microsoft's first foray into lightweight terminals for its services. The Media Center Extenders used in conjunction with Windows Media Center were quite capable of streaming the Media Center experience before Microsoft dropped the platform. The new hardware is much more in line with Microsoft's focus on enterprise customers.

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The hardware is designed to bolster Microsoft's green credentials, although it is likely to make little headway in offsetting the power and cooling needs of the company's AI ambitions. There is 90 percent post-consumer recycled aluminum alloy in its top shield and 100 percent pre-consumer recycled aluminum alloy in its bottom plate. It also sips power, according to Microsoft, consuming less energy than "most desktops for users with external monitors and peripherals connecting to Windows 365."

The device will be available in preview form today in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, the question must be asked: what is the point?

If your organization is wedded to the Microsoft ecosystem and doesn't want workers packed off with laptops, then yes – as a desktop replacement, this could make sense. As long as you don't want to venture outside the Windows 365 walled garden.

However, the Windows 365 Link will be a non-starter for users accustomed to mobility. In addition, it is not even a PC, let alone an AI PC.

Ultimately, the security features of the device and the inherent manageability of something so limited will carry a certain appeal. But we're not sure how many enterprises will be able to cope with the limitations of something that can do little more than connect to Windows 365 for a price tag that is not far from something considerably more functional. ®