Windows 11: on-Ramp for Azure & Second Money Maker of Microsoft
This essay edited by MiniTool team tells you what some Windows users have found in the new Windows 11 and explain why Microsoft lets that happen. Through reading, you will learn the future trend of the Windows system and even the whole IT field.
Update: The official Windows 11 is already available since October 5, 2021.
With the Windows 11 Insider Preview build used by many users, people have found that it acts like an on-ramp to Microsoft’s cloud service Azure. Windows 11 tends to attract more developers to Azure.
In recent years, Windows operating system (OS) is no longer Microsoft’s biggest moneymaker for Microsoft’s cloud computing business has already overtaken Windows. Thus, maybe we should expect a free version of the Windows system in the future.
It is said that the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella has spent his last 7 years focused on expanding Azure. Actually, since Windows has become an extension of its cloud computing service, Nadella has even joked that he may begin to call Microsoft’s operating system “Azure Edge” in January 2020.
Following last year’s PC boom, Windows 11 release at a time when chip shortages have made it difficult for people to get new devices. Yet, luckily, Microsoft solved this problem by providing a new Windows 365 PC-as-a-service that enables users to stream a Windows desktop to any of their devices no matter where they are.
With the growth of Microsoft’s cloud revenues, now, Windows is part of Microsoft’s more personal computing revenue segment that also contains Surface hardware, Bing search advertising, as well as Xbox.
Yesterday, Microsoft requests users to pay to upgrade to the newest version of Windows. Yet, that is all changed after the publication of Windows 10 in 2015. Being similar to Apple, Microsoft permits people to upgrade free of charge. And, this will also be applied to Windows 11. So, a completely free Windows is possible in the future.
Although Microsoft does not charge users any fee for system upgrades, Windows still provides a great deal of value for Microsoft as developers are more likely to code programs for Windows for its large user base. Also, thanks to the large install base with Windows and Microsoft 365, Azure has been able to begin catching up with AWS in the cloud computing field.
Within Windows 11, Microsoft decides to cater to developers even more with better window management via its Snap Layouts that enable power users to quickly open several applications to pre-set positions on their monitors. Yet, at the same time, Microsoft is also changing its Windows app store to give developers a bigger cut of the revenue from their apps.
Finally, the rollout of Windows 11 will not only give existing users a reason to continue using Microsoft’s OS but also help Azure gain many customers to OneDrive to save their items in the online cloud. One of the proofs is that Microsoft has replaced former File History and Backup and Restore entrances in Windows Settings with the on-ramp of OneDrive.