Much has been heard of the Windows 12Microsoft’s new operating system to replace Windows 11, launched by the company in October 2021. The company even showed the prototype of the Windows 12 desktop design. Below, Oficina da Net will show you everything we already know regarding the next generation of Microsoft’s operating system.
When will Windows 12 be released?
According to the experts, Windows 12 is expected to be released in the year 2024. Also, as major updates from Microsoft usually take place in the fall in the US, the launch is expected to take place between September and November.
It is important to mention that Windows 12 has not yet been officially announced by Microsoft and there is no exact release date. The debut of the operating system in the year 2024 is just a rumor and may end up being changed at some point. Not even the name “Windows 12” is a certainty, as there was no launch of Windows 9, for example.
According to Zac Bowden, from the WindowsCentral website, a journalist who has a history of accurate information, says that the launch of Windows 12 would be in 2024 according to his internal sources at Microsoft. It is said that the Windows developer has a current plan to release a new version of the operating system every 3 years.
If Microsoft really sticks to the aforementioned timeline, we’ll have Windows 13 in 2027 and Windows 14 in 2030.
Is Windows 12 also known as “Next Valley”?
Windows developers call the Windows 12 project “Next Valley” according to speculation. This makes sense, as the ID for Windows 11 was “Sun Valley”.
Windows 12: What’s New?
While Microsoft has yet to officially announce Windows 12, there has been a “leak” of the operating system’s new desktop interface.
The image of the new desktop appeared at the Microsoft Ignite event in October 2022. At the time, the company showed an image of Microsoft Teams running on the desktop with the appearance of Windows 11. However, if you look closely, you will notice the following changes:
- A floating taskbar instead of an edge-to-edge taskbar.
- A floating search box at the top of the screen, in the middle.
- System icons (such as system tray and notification icons) displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen, over the desktop background.
- The weather displayed in the upper left corner of the screen, over the desktop background.
Speculations say that the image may be showing a prototype of the Windows 12 interface. As it ended up “mysteriously appearing” during Microsoft’s lectures, there is a great chance that it is an attempt by the company to stir up Windows enthusiasts.
The WindowsCentral website says that, according to its sources at Microsoft, the image would be “a representation of a design that Microsoft hopes to use in an upcoming version of Windows”. Additionally, Microsoft is said to be working on a major redesign of other elements of the operating system, including the lock screen and notification center. Apparently, the company is once more trying to balance the needs of a touchscreen interface with one that uses a mouse and keyboard.
Microsoft is believed to be implementing a floating search box with artificial intelligence capabilities, as the company announced that it has integrated ChatGPT technology into Bing, its search engine. Furthermore, speculation says that the AI search feature will interact with other applications installed on Windows computers.
Will I have to pay to get Windows 12?
If you already have Windows 10 or Windows 11 with a license previously built into your computer by the manufacturer or purchased from an online store, it is likely that downloading and installing Windows 12 will be free. As this practice has existed for a long time, it is believed that it will continue in the next generations of Windows.
Minimum requirements to run Windows 12
If your computer doesn’t have Windows 11 compatible hardware, it probably won’t support Windows 12 “Next Valley”. However, Microsoft is still believed to make the chance in the next generation operating system more comprehensive.
When will Windows 11 end of support?
Windows 11 will support security updates until at least the end of 2028. The reason to believe this date is because Windows 10, which was released in 2015, will support security updates until October 14, 2025 , according to Microsoft.
It is believed that following version 23H2 of Windows 11, Microsoft will slow down the pace of implementations of new features for the operating system. This happened with Windows 10 when Windows 11 debuted.
