Andrew Heinzman
Just one day after its August 2nd launch, Microsoft paused the Windows 365 trial program due to “unbelievable” demand. Business and Enterprise customers can still purchase Cloud PC licenses, but they can no longer request a 60-day trial of the service. Those who want to try Windows 365 for free must now register for a mailing list and wait for availability.
Windows 365 allows businesses to access powerful Cloud PCs from any device, including an iPad or Chromebook, for as low as $20 a month. While the service is still too expensive for regular people, it could make sense for companies that want to streamline their networks and cut costs—particularly hardware setup, maintenance, and web security costs.
Following significant demand, we have reached capacity for Windows 365 trials. Sign up to receive a notification when trials resume or buy today, here: https://t.co/Jji5RbfTbT
— Microsoft 365 (@Microsoft365) August 3, 2021
The trial program offered for Windows 365 was actually quite generous, which may explain why Microsoft hit maximum capacity so fast. Businesses could sample a Cloud PC for 60 days to get an idea of how well the technology will work for their employees. The most powerful Cloud PC offered in this free trial sports 4 vCPUs, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Not bad!
Before the Windows 365 launch, many people had never heard of the Cloud PC or Virtual PC concept. To see the service get so much love in its first week (while limited to Business and Enterprise customers) is a big surprise—not just to us, but also to Microsoft. Hopefully, the company can get its trial program back on track soon.
