Feb 01, 2017 07:20 PM EST By Jordan Pine, UniversityHerald Reporter

Reference to the Windows 10 Cloud have been uncovered by Windows sleuth in the Insider test builds of the Creators Update, indicating that Microsoft may create a low-cost version of the Windows 10. Though Microsoft will not publicly admit it, the software giant seems poised to rival the Chrome OS and thwart the proliferation of Chromebooks with simpler, safer and cheaper alternative.

Microsoft has been campaigning to PC makers to move away from the Chrome OS for many years in the same way that it is trying to keep consumers away from Chromebooks, the Apple iPad alternative. Previously, Microsoft launched the Windows RT which failed to be picked up by mainstream users. The Windows 8.1 with Bing was not also widely-received.

Recently, some astute dataminers have uncovered references to the Windows 10 Cloud in the Insiders test builds. The Walking Cat on Twitter disclosed that a Windows Cloud was listed alongside current Windows 10 Edition Insider Build even going way back to the Windows 10 software development kit 15003.

The Windows 10 Cloud is a simplified version of Windows created to run Unified Windows Platform (UWP) apps that were installed from the Windows Store.  The position that Microsoft is taking is to provide PC makers with a cheaper and free to use OS where they can build their machines from.

Most likely, the software giant will release the Cloud on or just after the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update in April. Microsoft will test the new version first and released another one towards the end of the year as a second scheduled update to Windows 10.

The moniker of the Cloud may have nothing to do with streaming, but more on creating a better competition for the Chrome OS and the Chromebooks. Naturally, Microsoft will not announce it as such, but previous efforts have shown that the firm is dead set to thwart the proliferation of Chromebooks using only Chrome OS, ZDNet reported.

The unannounced OS alternative offers a safer, simpler and cheaper version of Windows 10. To compete with the Chrome OS, Microsoft needs to lock down the OS by default with no means to disable it. This is the only way to better address security concerns by keeping consumers within the ecosystem of Microsoft software and services.

The Cloud is also a way to thwart the proliferation of the Chromebooks. The iPad alternative runs on Chrome OS and does not support third-party stores like Steam or play PC games. Moreover, Google is already building its own world and there is no reason that Microsoft should not do the same according to The Verge. 

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