Microsoft first described Windows 10 as “the latest edition of Windows,” with the intention of converting the operating formula to a service style with regular updates instead of primary releases. Perhaps the numbering formula was intended to increase as Microsoft’s marketing at the time is a bit ironic today as this is the newest edition of Windows as we are now on edition 11. Six years passed between major releases, this time when previous incarnations of Windows arrived. the three. This means that the next first edition of Windows probably won’t arrive until 2027, but things seem to be changing at Microsoft. Now rumors are running overtime saying that Microsoft is not finished and that Windows 12, for the sake of having a call we can say, is in the works. The company has not said anything publicly, however, various technology media have spoken with resources within Microsoft who have proven its existence. While we can’t independently verify it yet, the number of independent media outlets talking about a new edition of Windows in the works gives some weight to the rumors. The way Windows 11 is updated has also changed: annual feature updates are no longer replaced by smaller updates throughout the year. We’ve rounded up the latest rumors and features and put our wisdom into Microsoft’s potential plans.
Microsoft has been downplaying the reports about the upcoming OS, but downplaying rumors is part of the game and often is a soft confirmation that something is in the works. The rumors and reports also say that the company might be stopping annual updates in favor of a major release every three years again. One of the earliest reports was from the German site Deskmodder.de, saying that Microsoft would start work on Windows 12 in March of 2022. The site referenced its own sources inside Microsoft, popular security account SwiftOnSecurity, and job listings for staff to provide “additional support to the team.”That confirms reporting from Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, who says that Microsoft uses the “Next Valley” codename internally for the next major build of Windows. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Microsoft will call it Windows 12. Until Microsoft confirms it, Windows 12 as the next sequential release after Windows 11 is as good a name as any. We don’t think Microsoft will skip any numbers when the next version of Windows releases, not as it did with the jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10.
According to Windows Central, Microsoft is moving to a 3-year cadence for major versions of Windows. This data matches how the company released versions of Windows before the launch of Windows 10 and would make Windows 12 a 2024 version. Windows 7 arrived in 2009 and Windows 8 arrived three years later in 2012. Windows 10 was released in late 2015. That was the end of the three-year cycle, and Windows 11 arrived six years later, in 2021. Now, if Microsoft goes back to the 3-year cycle, for some reason, the next major Windows update will come in 2024. More likely, this is not the end of Windows 11 or even Windows 10. Microsoft has committed to five years of mainstream. updates for Windows in releases and five more years of extended support thereafter. This would make Windows 11 obsolete in 2031 and Windows 10 in 2025. The only major update to Microsoft’s operating formula that was less successful was Windows 8, which was discontinued after 4 years because many consumers did not like the demo Forced Start Menu and other launch issues. It is always imaginable that the 3 year release cycle could be updated for some reason. This would delay the Windows 12 release window, but we can’t say how much longer. Again, Microsoft is currently in a six-year release window, so early reports may be incorrect and Windows 12 may not arrive until 2026 or even later.
Microsoft has offered free upgrades to its latest version of Windows since the release of Windows 8 to get more users onto its latest and greatest. This is likely for Windows 12, at least shortly after release. Microsoft had a rolling release for the free upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The upgrades started being offered in October 2021, with the company saying that all existing and eligible PCs would be offered the upgrade by the middle of 2022. Microsoft has not announced a cut-off date for Windows 10 users to upgrade, although we’d caution that those users should upgrade before Windows 12 gets announced; otherwise, they might have to pay.As to how much a Windows 12 license might cost, we can look at the current pricing for Windows 11. A license of Windows 11 Home costs $139 directly from Microsoft. To get Windows 11 Pro, it costs $199.99. We think it unlikely that Microsoft will increase the costs of a license with the next version of Windows. The company has to keep costs low to tempt the users still using older versions of Windows that won’t qualify for any potential free upgrades. For that reason, and for the number of enterprise customers that would need to upgrade at that time, we expect the price of a Windows license to stay fairly static at those numbers.
Microsoft has introduced a direct upgrade path to its newest operating system, Windows 11, for all Windows 10 users. The update appears in Windows Update as an optional update, or it is still possible to perform a blank install on Windows 11 from the Setup Wizard or the created installation media. Windows 7 or Windows 8 users had to first upgrade to Windows 10 before upgrading to Windows 11. You can also perform a blank install on Windows 11, as license keys from previous versions of Windows still activate the latest version. We hope Microsoft continues this update trend when Windows 12 is available. Windows 11 users deserve a Windows Update notification to update, and users of older versions of Windows will likely receive a notification or be able to perform new installations. This will largely depend on the additional hardware requirements that Microsoft deems necessary to use Windows 12, namely those related to additional security chips. If 2024 is indeed the release date, then we hope that any PC that can run Windows 11 lately can be upgraded to Windows 12. If the release date is later for some reason, the number of existing computers that will be compatible may also be reduced. Simply array through your old equipment.
Microsoft is unlikely to force users satisfied with previous editions of Windows to upgrade to Windows 12 when the time comes. Windows 11 is an optional upgrade for Windows 10 users, who have until October 2025 before Microsoft stops rolling out the operating formula through its Extended Support Promise. Even after this date, the operating formula will continue to work; You simply won’t receive feature updates and you probably won’t receive security updates unless they are major fixes. This is smart for most Windows 10 users, who may not even be able to upgrade to Windows 12 if their hardware doesn’t meet the eventual requirements. The scenario is even simpler for existing Windows 11 users. Thanks to Microsoft’s modern lifecycle policy, users of the company’s newest operating formula will get extension benefits until 2031. Windows 11 will continue to have general updates and of features until 2026, so Microsoft is rarely done yet. The new policy does not mention an end date for Windows 11Array, so users could possibly avoid upgrading when Windows 12 is released for many years afterward. Microsoft has said that Windows 11 express editions will get 24 months of Array. For example, the newest edition, edition 22H2, was released on September 20, 2022 and will run until October 8, 2024. As Microsoft returns to a three-year release cycle, this style would possibly be replaced consequently.
Windows 11 brought strict hardware requirements and added a TPM for security purposes. This prevented many older machines from being updated. While there are ways to install it on unsupported hardware configurations, there is no guarantee that they will work when Windows 12 arrives. Windows 12 may not have such a step forward in terms of requirements since it will arrive so soon after the release of Windows 11. What can also happen is that anyone who upgrades an unsupported hardware configuration to Windows 11 may also simply find out that they can’t get Windows 12. Windows 11 required a 6 quad-bit processor with a clock speed of 1 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, 6 4 GB of storage, a screen larger than nine inches with HD resolution (1366 x 768), an Internet connection and a graphics adapter compatible with DirectX 12 with WDDM 2. x. It also required a motherboard that supports UEFI and Secure Boot, as well as a TPM 2. 0 (Trusted Platform Module), which can also be software or hardware only. That’s about what we’d expect Windows 12 to need, perhaps with a formula RAM higher than 8GB. Microsoft may add other requirements over time. Some modern processors have the Microsoft Pluto security processor, which integrates the TPM into the processor, making it more secure. Only AMD Ryzen 6000 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chips involving Pluto, with no Intel processors on board yet, were part of the design team. We don’t see this being a requirement in Windows 12, but it may also simply be an optional requirement so that other TPM strategies are no longer necessary.
Microsoft will likely change the Windows UI for the next major release, although not drastically. We expect a more responsive UI that works better on different screen sizes, resolutions, and mobile devices like tablets. We might have already seen the in-progress version of Windows 12’s UI, during a presentation at Microsoft’s Ignite developer conference in October 2022. During one cutaway scene, a PC running what looked like Windows but with a different UI than any known Windows version was shown. The Taskbar was floating across the bottom of the screen, looking similar to the dock on macOS. A floating Search bubble wasn’t near the Taskbar; it was on the top edge in the middle. The desktop also had Weather and Clock details on the wallpaper at the top corners.It’s not unknown for companies to sneak previews into presentations for the eagle-eyed. It could also be a quick mockup that was never intended for a production version of Windows except for one thing. Zac Bowden at Windows Central said he’d already seen that UI mockup before from some of his sources inside Microsoft. The UI might not be the final version coming to the next version of Windows, but his sources say it was “representative of the design goals” that Microsoft has for Windows 12. Those also include making an interface that works better across desktops and touchscreens, designed to be scalable across sizes and aspect ratios.
Cortana has taken a back seat, but that doesn’t mean Microsoft is done with AI. During AMD’s keynote at CES 2023, Microsoft’s Panos Panay hinted that the next edition of Windows would feature AI heavily. Shortly after, we were shown how AI would come to Windows after Microsoft announced its commitment to a “multi-year, multi-million dollar investment” with generative chat favorite OpenAI. One of the first AI-enhanced Teams is Microsoft Teams, which can now automatically compile all data from an assembly into condensed notes. This includes creating responsibilities for participants, emailing a summary of the assembly to all participants (including those who were unable to attend), and Teams Premium can now generate sub-items. Live titles in more than 40 languages. Windows 11 now has an AI-powered Bing search edition. You can set it in the Edge Internet browser or in the search bar on the taskbar. Expect Windows 12 to expand the number of purposes powered through AI routines. The Settings app will locate what you’re looking at to edit when you start typing, or your video calls will receive AI-powered lenses to correct imperfections and make you look more attentive or awake. We could also see Cortana return as a fully functional conversational AI avatar, not as complete as her namesake in the Halo franchise, but closer than any other voice assistant so far.
Microsoft slowly moved its long list of Control Panel applets to the new Settings app, starting with the release of Windows 8 in 2012. More than a decade later, the company still has a fragmented set of applets. customization, configuration and troubleshooting teams on your operating system. Things like the Administrative Tools applet are full of links to other computers for settings and hardware that most users don’t want to touch on a daily basis, or to autoplay settings for what’s on. when external media is inserted into a PC. There are more than 30 applets. on the dashboard of a Windows 11 PC, includes other features like voice recognition, sync settings, and other legacy systems that haven’t or won’t be moved to the new Settings app, not because they have to rely on software or hardware existing. It’s time for Microsoft to remove them or move them all to the new Settings app. Windows 12 may even use a different core architecture than existing or previous versions of Windows, allowing Microsoft to remove some of those applets without wanting to translate their capabilities to the new operating system.
Microsoft’s Edge Internet browser doesn’t come close to having the user base that Internet Explorer had in its heyday. However, with only about 11% of the global browser market, it is the closest thing to a competitor to Google Chrome’s stranglehold on the market. This would possibly have been helped by the recent switch to Chromium as the browser engine in Edge. Another Edge feature that may also come to Windows 12 is one that Chrome can’t do and that may also cause Microsoft’s most productive browser to lose more market share. This is the ability to display two browser tabs side by side without having two. The browser windows open. Imagine organizing browser tabs in the open window, like you could use Snap Layouts in Windows 11 to organize apps on your desktop. This convenient feature comes from an internal task through Microsoft’s user research team, an experimental browser known internally as “Phoenix” to demonstrate complex UI equipment in the form of a concept video. The split-screen tab view was the “most popular feature,” according to serial leaker WalkingCat. While this may also happen to Edge users on Windows 11 even before we hear about the Windows 12 release date, releasing a completely new edition of Edge alongside the next edition of the operating system would be the most productive time for Microsoft. .
Microsoft has been heavily leveraging its cloud offerings lately, with hybrid working tools built into Windows 11. This moves the operating system closer to a service model and could hint at future plans with Windows 12. One of these future tools could use a combination of the cloud, your home desktop, and your smartphone to give you access to the Windows 12 desktop from wherever you are.The building blocks are already there; they only need to be combined into one app. You can already remote desktop into your PC, but the experience is less than ideal. Your desktop can also link to your smartphone to handle notifications and take calls and messages on your Windows PC. Microsoft could combine these, plus some streaming video tech and send your desktop to your smartphone, enabling smooth productivity as long as you have internet connectivity. This could even be a Windows Phone-style UI, tweaked to work on a touchscreen instead of the smaller icons and UI used on larger screens.
Microsoft had a yearly schedule for big feature updates to Windows 10 and Windows 11. The last was in September 2022, with the Windows 11 22H2 (Sun Valley) release. That was also the last planned yearly feature update, as Microsoft has changed how releases happen. Its new “Moments” engineering push puts major Windows releases back on a three-year cycle. Instead of yearly big feature updates, those features will release every few months, as often as four times a year.The three-year release cadence all but confirms that Windows 12 is coming in 2024. The engineering push will mean a faster update cycle for Windows 12 users, with smaller, more regular improvements and new features as time goes on. We’ve already seen this smaller timescale for feature upgrades when the tabbed version of File Explorer came just before the Windows 11 22H2 release. The company also released the Taskbar weather button on Windows 11 in the same way, showing that the quicker update cycle was viable. Recent other updates to Windows 11 brought the ability to record your screen with the inbuilt Snipping Tool, which also now automatically saves snips in the Screenshots folder, an upgraded version of Search, energy-efficient settings to lower your carbon footprint, and Quick Assist, a way to easily allow your trusted friends and family to connect to your PC to solve technical issues.
Microsoft released Windows 11 in October of 2021. To meet that deadline, it had to test the prerelease features to ensure stability without the testers knowing they were using the next version of Windows. It did this through the Windows Insider program, with millions of testers using Windows 11 features while being told they were testing upcoming features to Windows 10. Testing of these features started as early as June 2021, months before the retail release. Microsoft could already be testing features secretly if Windows 12’s 2024 release date is true.The Dev Channel for Windows Insiders gets the first releases of work-in-progress code from Microsoft’s engineering teams. Some of the current in-testing features of Windows 11 look suspiciously close to the Windows 12 UI that was shown off inadvertently at Microsoft Ignite. Insiders are testing a tablet-optimized taskbar that hides to show critical status icons only or expands when swiped to show large icons for touch interaction. That looks somewhat like the floating taskbar from the Ignite presentation. More third-party widgets are being tested, including Spotify and the Phone Link app. Expect more widgets for Windows 12, as Microsoft adds more mobile-friendly features. Another feature in testing is the ability to tweak Windows Studio Effects from the taskbar Quick Settings panel. This likely won’t be the only new set of controls coming to the Quick Settings panel, as Microsoft moves away from the old Control Panel style.
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