Microsoft Brings Back the Dumb Terminal with Windows 365 Cloud PCs

Microsoft Brings Back the Dumb Terminal with Windows 365 Cloud PCs

By TechPowerUp
Publication Date: 2026-02-27 13:40:00

Microsoft has partnered up with ASUS and Dell to bring back the “dumb terminal,” or at least something that very much reminds of it. Back in 2024 Microsoft launched its Windows 365 Link cloud PC which largely went unnoticed outside some corporate usage. Now the company has decided that it’s time to let its partners get a slice of the action with the announcement of the ASUS NUC 16 for Windows 365 and the Dell Pro Desktop for Windows 365.

Based on the specs of equivalent models from ASUS and Dell, the hardware could still prove to be decent, with ASUS’ coming soon page point towards DDR5 memory, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, as well as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C connectivity. Nothing is really known about the Dell Pro Desktop, as it appears to be a new model of its current hardware, based on the picture provided by Microsoft. What makes these two devices “dumb terminals” is that they run Windows 365, which is a stripped down OS that launches you straight into Office…