According to a new report from Windows Central, Microsoft is working on a more “modern” version of Windows once more, and we may see some changes with Windows 12 in 2024. Windows 10X, a version of Windows 10 that was going to remove features like support for classic Win32 applications, was the company’s most recent attempt at something similar. However, Windows 10X was ultimately scrapped in favor of Windows 11. Microsoft, on the other hand, appears to be taking a different tack this time around.
A Windows version for every device
This new initiative, which is being internally referred to as CorePC, aims to develop an operating system that can better take advantage of various form factors, as stated by Zac Bowden of Windows Central. For instance, Win32 applications may not be supported on some devices, but traditional desktop PC applications will still function as expected because they are necessary for the usage of those devices.
According to the report, Microsoft is approaching this idea in a different way than it did with Windows 10X: Rather than trying to rebuild Windows from the ground up and only add what was necessary, the CorePC project starts with the entire Windows feature set and tries to break it up into a modular design that can be used on a variety of devices.
The report mentions a ChromeOS-like version of Windows that only runs Edge (with web apps), Android apps, and Microsoft Office apps. It is anywhere from 60% to 75% smaller than Windows 11 SE. As a reminder, Windows 11 SE is already a light version of Windows intended for education, with lower system requirements and the removal of some unnecessary features. As a result, this would be a significant advancement over the situation as it currently stands.
State partition to empower fast updates:
Windows 12 will have state separation, which is one of the fundamental changes being made as part of this effort. This indicates that various OS components will be divided into various partitions, many of which are inaccessible to the user. There are a few significant advantages to this, and it is fairly typical for contemporary operating systems like Android and iOS.
Windows 12 will use AI frequently:
One more thing that the report mentions is probably the least surprising one: For Windows 12, artificial intelligence (AI) will play a significant role. Given how strongly Microsoft has been betting on AI with the new Bing chat experience and Microsoft 365 Copilot, this was obvious.
Windows’ ability to view the content on your screen and possibly prompt you to take particular actions based on what’s being displayed is one of the AI features mentioned in the report. Windows may likewise have the option to distinguish components of a photograph and permit you to remove it from the picture to glue it elsewhere.
It’s important to remember that Windows 10X was widely covered before it was canceled, and Microsoft even made a formal announcement about it at the time. The inquiry is whether the organization can follow through on its vision this time around, and for that, we’ll need to sit back and watch. Microsoft recently made a few changes to the Windows Insider program, establishing a new Canary channel that is geared toward Windows’s long-term development. It is highly likely that these modifications already exist, but it will probably be some time before we see them.