The first clues of what’s coming in the next version of Windows are beginning to emerge
Everyone knows the pain and anxiety of an operating system upgrade. After clicking the fateful dialog box, your entire digital life is briefly thrown into limbo. If something goes wrong mid-upgrade, you’re in for a painful time. And even if it’s successful, you can never be 100% certain that every app, driver and plugin will work on the new system.
So, it’s perhaps understandable if you’re still rocking Windows 10 on your computer – despite Microsoft’s nagging to upgrade to Windows 11.
And that’s why we have good news and bad. The good news is Microsoft will stop nagging you about Windows 11 in the not too distant future. The bad news is that’s because Windows 12 looks set to arrive.
The first signs of Microsoft’s plans for what’s next are starting to emerge, with a new version of Windows expected as early as next year. So what might we expect in the next version of Windows?
More than a lick of paint?
Microsoft will need to set Windows 12 apart from its predecessors visually, and we’re already getting hints of what it might look like. One screenshot that appears to have been shared inadvertently at a Windows Ignite developer conference showed the taskbar floating at the bottom of the screen, instead of anchored to the bottom of the display. Floating at the top of the screen, Windows 12 displayed the time, weather, connection status, battery life and search box – suggesting a more phone or tablet-like interface.
The more significant changes will probably take place under the hood in response to the Cambrian explosion of AI-powered apps that have emerged over the past few months.
“I suspect Microsoft will go hard on AI features as part of the next major version of Windows,” Zac Bowden, senior editor at our sister outlet, Windows Central – who is one of the best-connected people on the Windows beat – told PC Pro.
Bowden speculates that it could be AI predicting what apps or shortcuts you may need next, based on what you’re looking at on screen, such as Windows spotting you’re emailing someone and mentioning that you need to send wedding invitations, and suggesting the Microsoft Designer app in the Start menu.
“You might also see smart enhancements to existing features like Snap Assist, remembering which apps you frequently snap together, for example,” said Bowden.
Getting to the core
Perhaps the biggest change that we can expect from future Windows is a significant shift in how the operating system is structured. Instead of being packaged as a one-size-fits-a
