News
- DaaS could be more effective than laptops for 95% of workers by 2027
- Hosted machines are twice as popular as they were in 2019
- DaaS spending could grow to $6bn by 2029
New Gartner research has suggested hosted PCs, otherwise known as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), are now cheaper to operate than on-prem business laptops.
By 2027, Gartner expects DaaS to be cost-effective for around 95% of the workforce, up from 40% in 2019, with more users set to use hosted machines as their main workspace as a result (20%, compared with 10% in 2019).
However, for the time being, most organizations only deploy DaaS to a minority of employees to assist with securing remote work. But a growing emphasis on cost, operational efficiency and sustainability could change this.
More companies are considering DaaSGartner predicts DaaS spending to grow from $4.3 billion in 2025 to $6.0 billion in 2029, thanks to the fact that the total cost of ownership has now dropped below laptops for many use cases, especially with thin clients.
"DaaS solutions allow remote workers, offshore workers, third-party employees, contractors, frontline workers and office workers to access virtual desktops hosted in the cloud," Gartner explained.
Microsoft was rated as a top leader, with strengths in digital workplace, cloud and AI, and products including Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and Microsoft Dev Box.
For Microsoft in particular, Gartner estimates that 60% of its DaaS clients belong to mid-sized organizations (100-4,999 employees), with larger companies (5,000+ employees) accounting for 30% and just 10% coming from smaller orgs (up to 99 employees).
"Gartner rarely speaks to an organization that is planning to deploy a new on-premises VDI solution. Net-new deployments are almost exclusively using DaaS, and on-premises deployments are either migrating to DaaS or moving to a cloud control plane, except for a few land-locked use cases," the company concluded.
Looking ahead, businesses are now looking into the cost-efficiency benefits of DaaS with scaling opportunities further amplifying the potential savings.
However, as a relatively small portion of the overall PC market that's in its early stages with limited regulation, there raises some questions around vendor lock-in and licensing complexity, meaning that early adopters could have to put up with headaches until regulators weigh in.
Via The Register
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- A new report outlines changes to the Apple Watch 12
- We could get new sensors and an exterior redesign
- The wearable won't be launching until September 2026
It looks likely that the Apple Watch 11 will be unveiled sometime next month, if Apple sticks to its usual schedule, but a new report suggests that its 2026 successor is going to feature a pretty significant redesign.
This tip comes from a report in DigiTimes (via MacRumors), based on supply chain sources, although we don't get too much information about what it might involve – and this isn't a device that has changed much in terms of its looks through the years.
The article does mention an increased number of sensors, presumably for more accurate health and fitness tracking, or perhaps to add to the metrics that can be tracked. These additional sensors may form part of the redesign.
In the past we've heard rumors of an Apple Watch with a camera and an Apple Watch with a touch-sensitive glass frame, but these potential upgrades aren't specifically mentioned in the latest reporting from DigiTimes.
Battery boostThe Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Image credit: Future)The new article also mentions improved power efficiency too, which hopefully means we can look forward to better battery life with the Apple Watch 12, and perhaps the Apple Watch Ultra 4 (the Apple Watch Ultra 3 should arrive this year).
In terms of this year's model, the report does say that the Apple Watch 11 will be getting some Apple Intelligence features. However, based on what we've seen of watchOS 26, it seems likely that these will mostly be managed on a connected iPhone.
Given what DigiTimes is predicting for 2026, it seems the Apple Watch 11 might be a more minor upgrade. The publication does have a mixed track record for Apple gadget predictions though, so bear that in mind.
We'll no doubt get plenty more leaks and rumors about the Apple Watch 12 over the course of the next year, but before that we've got the Apple Watch 11, which should appear alongside the iPhone 17 handsets at some point in September.
You might also like- Floppy disks were officially deemed obsolete in 2010, yet persisted in surprising places for years
- Polymatt used CNC machining and PET film to craft a functioning magnetic storage disk
- Iron oxide coating allowed the handmade disk to store and retrieve basic magnetic data
Floppy disks, once a staple of personal and professional computing, have been phased out for over a decade - but while the technology was officially declared obsolete in 2010, some organizations kept using it surprisingly long.
The Japanese government only moved away from the format in 2024, while the German Navy followed suit the same year. In the United States, the last official use of 8-inch floppy disks for nuclear launch coordination ended in 2019, with San Franciso's government also finally cutting ties with floppies in 2024.
Against this backdrop of obsolescence, a YouTuber known as polymatt decided to recreate one from scratch, using modern tools and consumer-grade equipment.
Engineering a working floppy from the ground upPolymatt began the project by carefully measuring and modeling the disk enclosure and internal components using Shapr3D and MakeraCAM software.
He then cut aluminum parts with a Carvera Air CNC machine, ensuring precise tolerances for the mechanical structure.
For the magnetic disk surface, he laser-cut PET film and coated it with a suspension of iron oxide powder, replicating the material properties needed for magnetic data storage.
After assembling the components, he managed to magnetize the disk and write to it.
While the data handling capabilities were basic, the fact that a functioning magnetic storage medium emerged from raw materials marked a notable technical achievement.
The process was not without difficulties, but persistence and methodical experimentation allowed him to complete the build.
Today, cloud storage services allow vast amounts of data to be accessed from anywhere, without the physical limitations of older media.
SSDs deliver high-speed and durable storage in compact formats, while an external SSD offers portable capacity far exceeding what was once possible with floppy disks.
A single modern SSD can store millions of times more data than the recreated floppy, with speeds that make the older medium seem impractically slow by comparison.
While polymatt’s recreation is unlikely to be used in practical applications, it demonstrates the enduring appeal of hands-on engineering projects.
Building a floppy disk in 2025 serves more as a tribute to a pivotal era in computing than as a viable alternative to current storage methods.
For those who once relied on them, the familiar clunk of a floppy drive reading data is part of a technological heritage that shaped modern computing.
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