Microsoft positions Always-Connected PCs as the future of professional devices

Nowadays, Windows PCs with integrated cellular connectivity are still quite rare. But Microsoft is on a campaign to change that, especially in the business world.

At the 2018 Microsoft events held in Taipei and Shenzhen in recent weeks by Microsoft's WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference), Microsoft executives have evangelized so-called "Always Connected" devices.

Always Connected devices are ARM and Intel mobile PCs with integrated LTE cellular networks that can use SIM or eSIM technology to manage this connectivity. Although most PCs from Microsoft and its partners still do not include integrated LTE technology, Microsoft officials expect this to change.

The two-in-one Microsoft Surface Go laptop with integrated LTE needs to be released by the end of this calendar year, the last time we've heard of it. And recently, Lenovo unveiled the first PC equipped with the Snapdragon 850 chip, the Yoga C630 WOS. Last week, Samsung followed suit with the Galaxy Book2 based on Snapdragon 850. Qualcomm made one of the main selling points of the Snapdragon 850 with its improved LTE speeds, claiming that the new processor will speed things up by 20%.

Last summer, when Microsoft began touting the first Windows 10-on-ARM devices of its OEM partners, maintainers have always treated Always Connected computers as a single category. But this story is changing, said Erin Chapple, vice president of Windows Server, Always Connected PCs and OS platform technologies.

"A" modern device "is now for us a PC always connected," she said.

Constant connectivity becomes part of what Microsoft advises OEMs to integrate into new devices, just as it adopts Windows Hello, far-field voice recognition, etc., said Chapple.

The company is also starting to seriously consider making connected computing a tool not only for the consumer but also for the needs of the business, Chapple said. "It's always important to talk to consumers (about connected computing)," she said, "but future opportunities are commercial."

(That said, Microsoft recently released a new page on consumer LTE connectivity.)

Microsoft's corporate strategy is that integrated LTE networking will enable them to move to a "network as a service" rather than having to configure and manage their own custom networks, Chapple said. Access to fast and reliable cellular networks as part of their computer experience will allow them to avoid using unreliable public networks, she added.

Always Connected computers were only one of the tracks covered by WinHEC. Other leads included Windows Server 2019; Windows 10 in S mode; security: basic principles: such as AutoPilot, Modern Standby, etc. and the smart edge. For the first time at WinHEC, women in technology were also very present.

About Windows 10 in Mode S, which Microsoft is working on to deliver to OEMs – especially to Always Connected computers – Windows 10 1809 (the October update) imposes new requirements for Windows 10 Pro mode S devices. Internet connectivity for Pro Mode S devices will need to be connected to the Internet, and users will need to connect to Azure Active Directory if these devices are registered with AutoPilot, as noted by Microsoft Ignite. IT professional conference.