Windows 12 may arrive in 2024 in a major change for Microsoft

Microsoft is changing the way it releases major versions of Windows again, and that could mean we see Windows 12 released in 2024. Windows Central Reports That Microsoft is back in a three-year release cycle for Windows, which means that the next major release of Windows will now come in 2024. It’s another big change in how Microsoft develops Windows.

Microsoft originally walked away from its three-year cycle with the release of Windows 10 in 2015, prioritizing the idea of Windows as a Service. Instead of releasing a ton of features every three years in a new Windows release, Windows 10 is updated twice a year with big new features. For years, many Windows watchers thought Windows 10 would be the last big version of Windows, after a Microsoft employee described Windows 10 as “the last big version of Windows.”The latest version of Windows. “

Microsoft has never dismissed these comments, instead saying at the time that they “reflect the way Windows will be presented as a service that delivers new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner.” All that changed with the release of Windows 11 last year and Microsoft Go to the annual update Rhythm for both Windows 10 and 11.

With Microsoft moving to the Windows 11 branding, it’s reasonable to expect that any future major release of Windows will also see a rebranding. We haven’t seen Microsoft adopt Windows 11.1 or 11.2 with major Windows 11 updates yet, so many will now be wondering if Windows 12 is on the way.

Photo by Becca Versace/The Verge

Besides the next release of Windows in 2024, Microsoft still plans to keep Windows 11 updated in the coming years. The software maker has walked away from its original promise of big annual updates for Windows 11 in recent months, preferring to ship key features as soon as they’re ready. next major update, 22H2It is currently expected to arrive in September or October, having been recently completed by Microsoft.

Microsoft is said to have canceled plans for a similarly large annual update at 23H2 in 2023, and will now prioritize rolling out new features throughout 2023 instead. This aligns closely with recent changes Microsoft made to its Windows Insider Program, with more Experiments and features of the prototype It is being tested extensively.

Microsoft has not officially commented on its Windows roadmap plans. The company has made a renewed effort at Windows over the past couple of years, after the pandemic drove increased use of Windows. Microsoft had originally planned to release Windows 10X on dual-screen devices, but then “Back of the PC” ad At the start of the pandemic, it kept rebooting 10 times into what became known as Windows 11.