Latest news with #Windows12
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Only one person at Microsoft is talking about Windows 12 — let's keep it that way
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Microsoft's Windows operating system has a trail of mysteries that people are eager to see solved, and they're not limited to Google searches for Blue Screen of Death error codes, either. From "Whatever happened to Windows 9?" to "How did we get an artificial intelligence, before decent Windows Search performance?" Everybody is looking to Microsoft for answers. But according to one Microsoft employee manning the official Windows account on X, one question looms larger than most, humorously posting earlier this week: "It's always 'when is Windows 12 coming' and never 'how are you doing person who runs the Windows account." Shockingly, this might count as the first official mention of Windows 12 by the Redmond-based company, even if it was only used to spice up a social media post. When I saw it, I could only mutter "Don't do that." And not in a Hawkeye crying in the Tokyo rain, Marvel's Avengers Endgame, "Don't give me hope" way either. I was happy when people weren't talking about Windows 12. Microsoft, especially. Nobody should be talking about Windows 12. That path only leads to disappointment. Here's why. I've heard it time and time again from Windows 10 holdouts who refuse to upgrade to Windows 11, even as its October 14, 2025, end-of-support date rapidly approaches: "No thanks, I'll wait for Windows 12." No doubt, those people are old enough to recognize a peculiar pattern. One where every other Windows release stumbles before being replaced by a supposedly superior alternative. It all feels a little superstitious, but the evidence is undeniable: Windows 95, good. Windows 98, bad. Windows 98 SE, good. Windows ME, bad. Windows XP, good. Windows Vista, bad. Windows 7, good. Windows 8, bad. Windows 10, good. Windows 11, kill it with fire. Logically, the next major milestone release, presumably Windows 12, is destined for greatness — except it isn't. If you're unhappy with the direction of Windows 11, I can guarantee that if Windows 12 exists, and whenever it arrives, you'll be equally as unhappy still. Thankfully, I won't, based on a single post by one bored social media manager, that this is some dog-whistle for the supposed future operating system's imminent arrival. There's been no official-official word of Windows 12 from anybody in a position of authority at Microsoft so far, and I hope it stays that way. If Windows 12 arrives — and I do stress the if — it'll bring with it the kind of hardware requirements that make TPM 2.0 look as trivial as insisting a keyboard includes a spacebar. Microsoft's multi-billion-dollar AI push all but guarantees that the next milestone Windows release will be designed for the Copilot+ PC experience, demanding hefty investments from users to adopt the latest NPU-equipped hardware. Given the operating system's current heading, Windows 12 wouldn't simply lean on AI, it would practically collapse into it, leaving hundreds of thousands of Windows 10 users wishing they'd have been more careful about what they asked for as their previously dated hardware is left looking like it should be gathering dust on a museum shelf next to the Antikythera mechanism. If you're not happy with Windows 11, the last thing you want to be doing is haranguing Microsoft to release Windows 12. In my opinion, not even playfully. Let's keep Windows 12 well and truly out of the discourse, at least until Microsoft is finished with its experimental AI phase and starts setting its sights on fixing what has turned so many away from its current flagship operating system in the first place.. In the meantime, there's always Linux. Windows 11 May update: A controversial AI feature makes a quiet comeback Microsoft loosens the noose on Windows 10 users with new end-of-support timeline Microsoft's next Windows update isn't at all what users were searching for
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Forbes
Will Microsoft Really Kill Off Windows 10 In October?
Windows 10 is still the world's most used desktop operating system There's now less than six months until Microsoft plans to kill support for Windows 10. There's just one major problem: it's still the world's most used desktop operating system. Microsoft plans to end free support for Windows 10 on October 14, potentially leaving hundreds of millions, if not billions, of PCs without protection from security threats. Businesses and (for the first time) consumers will be offered the chance to extend support further for a fee, but how many people will be willing to pay upwards of $30 for operating system updates awaits to be seen. Only Microsoft knows the true number of Windows 10 machines still ticking in the world, but it's not a number the company reports publicly. However, third-party analysis says that it's still more widely used than Windows 11, which was launched in October 2021. StatCounter – which collates the operating systems used by computers visiting more than 1.5 million websites – reported that Windows 10 was still used on 54.2% of all Windows PCs in March 2025. Windows 11, while starting to climb more rapidly in recent months, remains in second place on 42.7% of all Windows machines. Windows 11 has overtaken its older sibling in many Western countries, including the U.S.A., the U.K. and Canada. But in parts of Asia and Africa, there's still an enormous gulf between Windows 10 and Windows 11. In India, for example, Windows 10 holds strong on 62.1% of all Windows PCs, with Windows 11 only found on 36.2%. In Nigeria, 64.9% of Windows users remain on Windows 10, and it has even increased its market share slightly in March. Windows 11 usage is below 30% in the country, while just under 5% are still using Windows 7, support for which ended five years ago. Microsoft has never been in a situation like this before. When Windows 7 left mainstream support in January 2015, it was by far and away the most used operating system, with just over 60% of Windows PCs using the operating system, according to Statcounter. But by the time extended support expired in 2020, it was only on a fifth of all Windows machines. At the current trajectory, Windows 10 will likely still be on around half of all Windows machines when its extended support deadline expires in October. Why has Windows 10 proved so enduringly popular? Partly because Microsoft raised the hardware bar quite significantly for Windows 11, with many Windows 10 PCs unable to upgrade to the latest operating system. Uncertainty over Microsoft's plans for Windows 12 may also be leaving some consumers and businesses unsure over whether to upgrade to a Windows 11 PC or wait for a new operating system. Microsoft shocked the entire industry when it abruptly announced Windows 11 in June 2021 and released it that autumn, having previously indicated it wasn't going to release major new versions of the operating system but continue updating Windows 10 instead. Now nobody's quite sure if a Windows 12 will be announced later this year, giving users another option before the curtain comes down on Windows 10. Even if Microsoft does stick with its plans to end support in October, Windows 10 users will have the safety net of Extended Support Updates. For consumers, this means a one-off fee of $30 for a further year's worth of updates. For businesses, Extended Support Updates will be available for another three years, with a punishing sliding scale of fees that start at $61 for the first year, but double the following year, and then double again in year three. Third-party security firms will also continue to support Windows 10 beyond the deadline. However, security software can't plug holes in the operating system itself. All it can do is to continue to ward off viruses and other malware as best it can. The pinch point will come if a major exploit is discovered in Windows 10 after the support deadline expires. Will Microsoft tough it out, and only offer patches to customers paying for Extended Support Updates? Or will it issue a free, general update to prevent a widespread security problem? It will be a test of nerve for both Windows 10 users and Microsoft alike.
