Microsoft to offer cloud-based version of Windows operating system

Microsoft Corp on Wednesday said it will offer its Windows operating system as a cloud-based service, aiming to make it easier to access business apps that need Windows from a broader range of devices.

Windows 365, as the service will be called, will roll out on Aug. 2 and will work somewhat like buying a new Windows PC: A business or school will pick how much computing power, memory and storage they would like for an the new machine.

But instead of waiting for a physical machine to arrive in the mail, the employee or student will access the operating system in the cloud via an existing PC, a Mac, iPhone, Android phone or Chromebook, as long as it has a web browser compatible with HTML 5, a widely used internet standard.