Microsoft has a master plan to change the world with a new line of super-thin, super-light PCs with cell service

When Microsoft released a new version of Surface Pro with an LTE cellular modem at the end of last year, it seemed a routine, long-awaited upgrade to Microsoft's flagship PC.

But at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year, Microsoft managers tell me that the Surface Pro with LTE is actually the first step towards a new future for the PC: a future where laptops have batteries of 20 hours, where you do not need a WiFi connection to connect - wherever you are.

Microsoft calls this "PC always connected" or "ACPC".

Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft's Windows and Devices Group, compares the rise of the CAAA with the massive upheaval that has occurred with the rise of cloud computing platforms such as Amazon Web Services. and Microsoft Azure.

"The network is going to the cloud, just like storage and computing," Myerson told Business Insider at CES.

In other words, Myerson suggests that cellular speeds become faster and faster, to the point where they can be faster for many people than WiFi connections at home or in the office. At this point, Myerson suggests, it would not even make sense to deal with WiFi - especially since the whole world is covered by the cellular signal.

And large PC manufacturers are coming for the ride. Last year, HP and Asus later announced ACPCs in 2018. And at CES this month, Lenovo announced the Miix 630 of $ 799, a lightweight ACPC with a Qualcomm ARM processor - not the processor Intel x86 has been powered by Windows machines for decades.

They will also face competition from Apple. The iPad Pro comes with an LTE modem and Apple sees the device as the future of the laptop. It means a battle between Microsoft and Apple for the future of the PC.

The big idea

Any PC that is still connected must meet a number of criteria, says Microsoft Vice President Matt Barlow.

The battery should last more than 13 hours with the battery and the usage time is "weeks" when not in use or in standby. It must have an LTE cellular modem. He must be thin and light. And it should use standard Windows 10 S, a version of the operating system that was released last year and that maximizes battery life and performance (with some compromises).

In short, the idea is that it is a PC that you can take anywhere. You do not have to worry about charging or finding a WiFi hotspot.

"[Always Connected PCs] brings together the best of mobile and the best of the Windows PC," says Barlow.

According to Barlow, this is in fact the lifetime of the battery, so many laptops can not be called ACPCs. A device can be thin and it can be lightweight, but if the battery life is not there, it will not cut the mustard.

The reason for the severity is that a device that meets all these criteria actually changes the way you use it, he says. You may not take a laptop with you when you are driving on the road because your battery might die and you may not be able to find Starbucks on the road to use Wi-Fi. But with a long battery life and continuous connectivity, you can be productive anywhere, he says.

"It changes where you pull it, where you would use it," Barlow said.

Promise and dangers

This is not the first time that Microsoft has walked this route. In 2012, Microsoft released the Surface RT tablet based on the ARM processor infrastructure. Although it does not offer mobile connectivity, the promise was similar: better battery life and solid performance in a slim, lightweight device.

It was a famous flop. Surface RT had a modified version of Windows called Windows RT, which could only run programs from the very limited Windows Store. There was literally no way to use a traditional Windows software designed for machines with Intel chips. In 2013, Microsoft has written off $ 900 million on Surface RT.

Microsoft CEO Erin Chapple tells us that her team has done a lot of technical work to ensure that this time is different.

Some ACPCs are powered by Intel processors and some, such as Lenovo, use ARM-based chips. But Microsoft has found a way that even ARM processors can run any Windows program, even those written with Intel. This means that ACCC users have access to all Windows software from the past and the present.

"I think we have shown that it is a different era and a different category," says Chapple.

Compromises and competition with Apple

The biggest consideration in CAAA is performance. Although these machines look great for your usual word processors, online chats and Netflix, the specifications are not really suitable for high-end gaming, video editing or any other CPU-intensive use.

"Connected PCs are in demand for users who need direct connectivity, the longest battery life, and are willing to sacrifice the ultimate performance," said Patrick Moorhead, Senior Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. .

It should also be noted that the same technology that makes older Windows software run on the ARM itself is CPU-intensive. This means that if you use ARM-based devices such as the Lenovo Miix 630, you may experience reduced performance when running certain software programs.

Chapple assures us that the difference is hardly noticeable in most real applications, depending on what you do. Games like "Minecraft" may work a bit slower than on another machine, she says, but if you use Microsoft Office or chat on Facebook, it will not make a big difference.

And finally, he has access to the vast world of Windows software, combined with the best features of tablets such as the iPad, which will make the difference, says Myerson. If you want something that helps you be productive with PC tools that you may already know, this is a Windows ACPC or a bust.