Windows 10's Cloud SKU might be Microsoft's upcoming take on Chromebooks

We reported about Windows 10’s upcoming Cloud “shell” last week. Today, more information regarding Windows 10 Cloud has appeared online, and it gives us a pretty good idea of what Microsoft is cooking up at Redmond. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Windows 10 Cloud will essentially be a lot like Windows RT. This means users will only be able to download Universal Windows Platform apps from the Windows Store.

What’s interesting is that there are already some mentions of the Cloud SKU of Windows 10 in the recent Insider Preview releases. As noted by Microsoft enthusiast WalkingCat, Microsoft initially mentioned the Cloud SKU in Windows 10 SDK Build 15003:

It isn’t yet clear when exactly Microsoft plans to introduce the new SKU of Windows to the public. It’s possible we will see its appearance with the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update which is set to be released this April, but Microsoft may end up releasing it with a future upgrade to Windows 10 at a later date.

Windows 10 Cloud looks like a slimmed down version of Windows 10, but it will only be available on low-end devices that will allow Microsoft to compete with Google’s Chromebooks. Microsoft’s OEM partners already sell pretty cheap Windows 10 laptops that compete with the Google Chromebooks, but if Microsoft could offer a simpler and cheaper version of Windows to OEMs, these devices will likely get even cheaper.

Now, the main question is: will Windows 10 Cloud succeed? Who knows, really.

Microsoft’s Windows RT didn’t succeed at all, but the company’s Universal Windows Platform has a lot of potential at the moment and the story could be a lot different this time around. However, the majority of the powerful apps available in Windows 10 is not available from the Windows Store which might be a concern for the software giant. However, if Windows 10 Cloud allows users to use Win32 apps that are available from the Windows Store thanks to the Desktop App Converter, there could be a lot of potential in this new SKU of Windows.