14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Thin PC was released to manufacturing earlier this week (official date June 7th) and is scheduled for general availability on July 1st, 2011, Microsoft has confirmed officially. Per the software giant’s own description of the new platform, Windows Thin PC (WinTPC) is a Windows 7 spin-off, designed as the evolution of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs.
The Community Technology Preview of WinTPC was offered to early adopters in March, followed by the Release Candidate (RC) at the start of May.
Testers that took WinTPC out for a spin earlier this year and that will also embrace the RTM build are bound to notice a few changes.
Karri Alexion-Tiernan, Director of Product Management for Microsoft Desktop Virtualization reveals that CTP testers that provided feedback to the Redmond company during the early stage of the testing program were able to influence the development process, with a few features added in the RTM:
“•Keyboard Filter: WinTPC will have the capability to allow customers to lock certain key combinations, such as Ctrl +Alt + Delete, from being utilized and taking effect on a Windows Thin PC device, thereby providing customers with greater level of security and control over user interaction with their WinTPCs.
•International IMEs (Input Method Editor) support: WinTPC will now include the option to support international keyboards.
•Key Management Server (KMS)/Multiple Activation Key (MAK): WinTPC will now be able to activate against a customer’s existing KMS server or use MAK keys, which enables quick and easy activation mechanisms that customers already use for their Windows desktops today.”
Windows Thin PC RTM hits GA at the start of next month, but this locked down and reduced footprint version of Windows 7 will only be available to customers with Software Assurance agreements, as an added benefit to the SA license.
“As we’ve been talking about, customers told us that they want an easy way to repurpose their existing PCs as thin clients,” Alexion-Tiernan stated.
“WinTPC makes this a reality and plays a part in our broader desktop virtualization strategy , which is to deliver the flexibility to work from everywhere, improve compliance and business continuity, and simplify management so that IT professionals can deliver better service to employees.
“With the above goal in mind we created WinTPC to help customers repurpose their PCs as thin clients, thereby driving down the cost of VDI.”