Microsoft might be considering a future where there could be a wave of new low-cost PCs powered by Windows 365 cloud computing and advertisements. This is all per a job listing, which was recently spotted by ZDNet​​​​​​.

According to the Microsoft Careers job listing for a Principal Software Engineering Manager, the Redmond firm is looking for someone who can help "chart a new direction for the experience and business model of Windows." The listing also mentions "low-cost PCs powered through advertising and subscriptions," as well as "new direct-to-cloud hardware devices across work and life."

Interestingly enough, the job listing mentions several Microsoft products by name, including Windows 365 and a newly formed Windows Incubation Team. Microsoft specifically mentions that the work them team does will "lead the next wave of cloud innovation for Windows, from defining a new hybrid app model that can scale from local to cloud compute."

If you put all of this together, it looks as though there's a future coming where Microsoft and partners want to build thin-client PCs for enterprises, and even the consumer, which involves selling Windows to them through the cloud. For those unfamiliar, a thin client PC is one with lower-end hardware, where primary computing happens online or on a server rather than on a device.

Microsoft already offers Windows 365 which can do this for business users on any existing hardware, and this job listing possibly hints at a bigger expansion for the service. In fact, several updates like Windows 365 Switch, were recently announced for the service, which better helps integrate it into the main Windows 11 operating system.

Adding to that speculation, and noted to ZDNet, Microsoft has made interesting moves around Windows 365, putting the internal team running it under the leadership of Windows and Surface Chief, Panos Panay. This is, in addition, to other work ongoing in regard to Machine Learning Microsoft's WebXT internal organization.

Source: Microsoft Careers via ZDNet