It has been more than a year since Microsoft launched Windows 11, while its predecessor, Windows 10, was launched in 2015. A gap of six years between the two operating systems, although Microsoft continues to provide both updates and features.
Recently, the company has taken a new approach to the way it runs things, especially with Windows 11. It has been pushing major updates to its latest operating system, as was the case with the recent Windows 11 22H2 Moment 2 update which included tons of new features and major improvements.
Also, Windows 10 continues to receive security updates from Microsoft, the company has already started phasing out the operating system. The company put the first nail in the coffin by announcing that Windows 10 licenses are no longer for sale, namely the Pro and Home editions. The end of support for the operating system is scheduled for October 14, 2025. That said, there are some indications that Microsoft may be gearing up for another major release, “Windows 12”. So far, there are numerous indications that the operating system is in the works and could be released as early as next year.
Windows 12 Release Date
Several reports have indicated that Microsoft may be ready to release a new operating system in 2024, Windows 12 (name to be confirmed).
In hindsight this may not be far-fetched, there have been indications that Microsoft intends to start shipping major releases of the Windows client every three years.
With that in mind, Microsoft’s last major release was in 2021, and the next one could potentially be made in 2024. Windows Central’s Zac Bowden has also repeated the same sentiments over and over again, a reliable source, especially when it comes to things like Windows and Microsoft in general.
New Canary Channel
Earlier this month, Microsoft made major changes to its Windows Insider program, introducing a new channel called Canary. With the new channel, the current development channel has been split into two categories; development channels canary and rebooted.
The first category, Canary, will primarily focus on providing technical users with an early look at platform changes that require long lead times, while the rebooted development channel will focus on providing a little more stability than the new Canary Channel, although accurate as the Canary Channel, the changes are not tied to any version of Windows.
Something that stood out from Microsoft’s announcement was that Windows 11 was not mentioned anywhere in the Canary Channel description. The company played it safe and didn’t mention Windows 12 either. It was only mentioned that the Dev Channel will get the latest version of Windows 11.
However, to differentiate it from other channels, releases shipped to Canary Channel are numbered in the 25000 series. New releases will primarily focus on major Windows kernel changes, new APIs, and more.
The company also pointed out that some of the features shipping to Canary Channel may never be widely available. The company further pointed out that there are some that may ship in future releases when they are ready.
Like will there be announcements for new builds with little documentation or even no announcements at all?
— CanePlayz (@CanePlayzRL) March 7, 2023
Microsoft already released the first build of the Canary Channel earlier this week coming in at 25314, as part of the 25000 build series. The release included enabling LSA protection on update. Also, the Remote Mailslot protocol was disabled by default.
Any update as to when the first build be rolled out in the canary channel? The Windows Insider Programme panel is screaming in red 🙂
— NVM. (@iri_descentderp) March 7, 2023
Taking all of this into account, the new Canary Channel is very similar to the Dev Channel. But it seems to be Microsoft’s “hidden” way to test Windows 12.
Cost Implication
Many of you may be wondering if Microsoft’s Windows 12 is free to download. Well, it seems that users can get it for free, but your device must meet the minimum system requirements set by the company.
We already know that Microsoft has been offering free upgrades for existing PCs so users can upgrade to Windows 10 and Windows 11. And if that’s not all, Windows 12 is likely to follow. However, if you don’t have an existing Windows license, you still need to make the purchase.
Hardware Requirements
There’s little to worry about in terms of system and hardware requirements. It’s very likely that Microsoft will favor modern PCs over older ones as the technology continues to evolve.
But if Windows 12 requirements are similar to Windows 11, not many users will be able to upgrade. As of October 2021, 43% of Microsoft devices are still unable to run Windows 11, based on 30 million Windows devices scanned across 60,000 enterprises, according to a report from Lansweeper.
According to @leaf_hobby on Twitter, a well-known source when it comes to Intel hardware leaks, Windows 12 is on the list of supported operating systems for the Intel Meteor Lake-S desktop chipsets. However, the tweet has since been deleted. Videocardz captured the details:
before the Tweet was deleted. Here is everything that was spotted:
MTL-S has 5.0 x4 additional CPUs (for M.2?)
5.0×16
5.0×4
4.0×4
From direct CPU
No AVX512
Z890 has additional 4.0 x4 of chipsets, x24 Gen4 lanes in total
Wi-Fi 7 debut
Windows 12 support is in the list of operating systems (?)
Now only 6P+8E and 6P+16E, 8P under development?
That’s all I know’
The chipset (Z980) will be paired with Intel Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs. According to a report from BenchLife, the Meteor Lake processors will ship in the second quarter of 2024.
What will likely happen is that Microsoft will continue to favor modern PCs over older ones and will likely keep the same hardware and system requirements as Windows 11 with some changes.
New Features
During last year’s Microsoft Ignite event, a strange event occurred that was not entirely expected. It was an image of Microsoft’s Teams communication platform running on a Windows 11-style desktop.
But if you look closely, you’ll notice a few key elements that set it apart from the usual Windows 11 UI we’re used to.
One notable feature that was noticed was the floating app bar which differs from the current setup. The status bar was also at the top and featured some system icons like Wi-Fi and battery indicators.
A similar concept we’ve seen in macOS and even Linux offerings. There is also a weather widget in the upper left corner of the screen.
AI-Powered Windows 12
Microsoft hasn’t made any announcements that Windows 12 is in the works, despite numerous indications that it is. But one thing is certain: the company will deeply integrate AI into its products and services in the future.
Earlier this year, Microsoft extended its partnership with OpenAI by making a multi-billion dollar investment. Since then, the company has deeply integrated AI into its services and products, even debuting New Bing, its AI co-pilot for the web, which has seen both setbacks and milestones. Perhaps Microsoft could look into integrating AI technology further with the new OS and unlock more possibilities. During an interview with The Verge, Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Modern Life, Search and Devices at Microsoft, confirmed that the company is considering incorporating artificial intelligence into future versions of Windows. For all we know, it could be about Windows 11.
According to Mahdi: As we start developing future versions of Windows, we’ll be thinking about other places where AI should play a natural role in terms of experience.
Panos Panay, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief product officer shared the same sentiments at CES, saying that “AI will reinvent how you do everything on Windows.”
In essence, with the latest Windows 11 update, Microsoft has already taken the first step towards this new reality. The Windows 11 taskbar now includes the new AI-powered version of Bing. Additionally, the Start Menu now recommends content for business users by leveraging AI capabilities.
