Intel might have slipped that Windows 12 is indeed coming next year

[Daniel Sims]

Rumor mill: Windows 11 is two years old and is still behind Windows 10's market share, but rumors have long suggested Microsoft is already preparing Windows 12's debut. A recent comment from Intel, together with the latest information regarding the company's near-future hardware plans, could heighten that suspicion.

During a recent earnings call, Intel chief financial officer Dave Zinsner mentioned a "Windows Refresh" expected in 2024. He doesn't explicitly mention Windows 12, but his comments fit rumors about the upcoming OS release. At the Citi 2023 Global Technology Conference, Zinsner said the company thinks the refresh will make next year a good one for its client-side business. A "Windows catalyst" will initiate a refresh for an aging installed base.

If previously reported rumors are true, then the CFO could be implying that Intel's upcoming Meteor Lake processors will benefit from Windows 12, spurring strong shipments when it appears. The OS and CPUs could herald a new environment of AI-based tools and client-side hardware working in tandem. Both products are said to present significant overhauls over their predecessors.

Earlier rumors suggest Microsoft will introduce Windows 12 in the second half of 2024, possibly leading to a full launch in 2025. Microsoft could embed features leveraging generative AI throughout the OS, building on the AI functionality that recently arrived with the Windows 11 23H2 update to its search bar, image editing apps, and Microsoft 365. Windows 12 might also rework its user interface and organize partitions differently to facilitate security and patches.

Microsoft could be taking a different approach to major OS upgrades altogether if it's forging ahead with Windows 12, while its predecessor struggles to establish dominance within the user base. A report from Statcounter reveals that over 70 percent of Windows users still prefer Windows 10, and Windows 11 adoption hasn't significantly increased beyond a 23 percent share since April. Steam's software survey has the latest Windows OS at a slightly better 37 percent adoption.

Meanwhile, the Meteor Lake series processors, expected to arrive next year, will feature dedicated AI acceleration cores to make systems more responsive when performing AI-related tasks. Similarly, AMD's recently released Ryzen 7000 mobile CPUs include a dedicated engine for Windows Studio Effects. Microsoft is said to be working with both CPU vendors in designing Windows 12's AI features.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/100418-intel-might-have-indicated-thinks-windows-12-coming.html

 

[brucek]

Can't wait to find out what new artificial hardware restriction will require customers to buy new systems in order to run this Windows 12 (without hacks or backdoors.)

I'd say the same about what user features might be in it, except I doubt there will be any, although I'm sure there will be some new revenue opportunities for Microsoft.

Yes, I'm cynical and disillusioned. Not necessarily wrong though.

 

[godrilla]

I wonder if Microsoft will update their DirectX 12 api announced/launched in 2014/15 ( under Windows 10) and update Dx12 ultimate in 2020/21. if not this would the almost 9/10 years with the DirectX generation nomenclature with latest ultimate version about 3 to 4 years if Windows 12 launches next year.

 

[VitalyT]

This is the last one for me. Windows 10 was ok, but 11 is a total shitshow. I'm moving to Linux permanently after this one.

 

[MSIGamer]

Win11 doesn't even feel finished. The context menu is now a mix of big icons and buttons with no functionality, hiding the original context menu under a second click. The task manager is now slow, ugly, ui wasting space due to huge inconsistent fonts and icon buttons, and worst of all it's more broken than win 10's, which was already broken compared to win7...
The default install is ad infested and bloated. And none of this stuff ever gets fixed.

Why don't they stop adding annoying half working bloat that nobody wants to use and stop destroying existing already perfected functionality, before releasing another stitched together piece of wanna-be...

 

[Lew Zealand]

It's almost embarrassing how much Microsoft laps at Apple's ankles these days.

Apple keeps it at Mac OS 10 for 2 decades so MS decided to make Windows 10 a similar "permanent OS". Apple decides to finally increment to OS 11 and 12 and so on to match iOS versioning which makes some internal sense as they're based on similar code. So Microsoft now goes to Windows 11 and 12 because.......

Apple.

LOL, MS being MS.

 

[Ecurb]

I converted my desktop to Linux Mint this year. Earlier this year I had completed converting all my home lab servers to Linux (proxmox, Ubuntu).

I’ve only one app I need windows for, so far, so I run Windows 10 in a Virtual Box VM on my Linux Mint desktop. I figure I’ll still need Windows for some time, but only for specialty software that runs no where else (I do still have two Win 8 Media Centers for cable TV recordings).

It is nice being able to read about all the Microsoft drama without worrying about how disruptive it will be.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

This is the last one for me. Windows 10 was ok, but 11 is a total shitshow. I'm moving to Linux permanently after this one.

Already did it, dont miss it.

I converted my desktop to Linux Mint this year. Earlier this year I had completed converting all my home lab servers to Linux (proxmox, Ubuntu).

I’ve only one app I need windows for, so far, so I run Windows 10 in a Virtual Box VM on my Linux Mint desktop. I figure I’ll still need Windows for some time, but only for specialty software that runs no where else (I do still have two Win 8 Media Centers for cable TV recordings).

It is nice being able to read about all the Microsoft drama without worrying about how disruptive it will be.

My main machine is mint now, so far everything works thanks to Valve and Proton. The only thing I dont have is tools like MSI afterburner, which sucks, but modern hardware isnt really OCable anymore and custom fan curves are not a make or break for me.

My media machine is getting upgraded this weekend, and it will be moving to linux as well. The only remaining windows machine is my laptop, which is a razer and doesnt like linux, so it will stay on 10 until it is replaced.

Can't wait to find out what new artificial hardware restriction will require customers to buy new systems in order to run this Windows 12 (without hacks or backdoors.)

I'd say the same about what user features might be in it, except I doubt there will be any, although I'm sure there will be some new revenue opportunities for Microsoft.

Yes, I'm cynical and disillusioned. Not necessarily wrong though.

Watch, I'll bet that pluton will be required. For your SeCuRiTy, of course, not for spying or control whatsoever.

Cynical and disillusioned is just the baseline these days. Oh to go back tot he blissful ignorance of the 2000s.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Win11 doesn't even feel finished. The context menu is now a mix of big icons and buttons with no functionality, hiding the original context menu under a second click. The task manager is now slow, ugly, ui wasting space due to huge inconsistent fonts and icon buttons, and worst of all it's more broken than win 10's, which was already broken compared to win7...
The default install is ad infested and bloated. And none of this stuff ever gets fixed.

Why don't they stop adding annoying half working bloat that nobody wants to use and stop destroying existing already perfected functionality, before releasing another stitched together piece of wanna-be...

Because the visionaries are long gone. The leaders ahve retired or moved on. The programmers who built the NT kernel and build things like loghorn were let go in favor of hiring H1-Bs that they could pay peanuts, then the QA was let go to save more money.

All this is reflected in their marketshare, which now sits at 75%, the lowest its been since the 80s. The more MS screws with windows the more people will move on.

 

[human7]

This is the last one for me. Windows 10 was ok, but 11 is a total shitshow. I'm moving to Linux permanently after this one.

If I wasn't a gamer, I would too. My laptop is Manjaro (with the pre-installed Windows 11 partition still on it but barely used), my desktop is Windows though. Gaming on Linux has come a long way, but it's got a ways to go before I would switch my desktop (or future gaming rigs) over there.

Pro-tip, if you do switch a laptop to Linux, research Wifi driver compatibility first. I didn't do that and had to build third-party "unofficial" drivers to get mine to work.

At least I got the laptop at a great discount, but still, the out-of-the-box experience can be more challenging in general. For example, disk encryption was not as smooth as it is with Bitlocker (Grub is really slow in verifying the password, and yeah there are workarounds, but really?), and power management isn't as good so the battery drains a little faster. Still, it's not bad once everything is setup. And you don't have to worry your OS pulling any shenanigans on you like forcing a web browser or pulling your data or whatever.

 

[toooooot]

I had win 11 for one year, but it 12 feels better, I am upgrading.

 

[loki1944]

Vista- Windows 11 "hold my beer"

 

[3ogdy]

Well, you know, there are certain issues with Windows 11 that make it less desirable than Windows 10. They're on the web.
Also, I guess this follows the tradition of a good - bad - good release by Microsoft.

So XP G - Vista B - 7 G - 8 B - 10 G - 11 B -> Hopefully Windows 12 would be the good one?

 

[TomSEA]

I'll be hanging on to Windows 10 until it's last, dying breath. Windows 11 is a mess and I don't expect 12 to be any better.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Well, you know, there are certain issues with Windows 11 that make it less desirable than Windows 10. They're on the web.
Also, I guess this follows the tradition of a good - bad - good release by Microsoft.

So XP G - Vista B - 7 G - 8 B - 10 G - 11 B -> Hopefully Windows 12 would be the good one?

10 isnt good though. That's stockholm syndrome talking. All the problems present in years past - the broken multi interface control panels, the ads in the start menu, the data collection, the nagware, the notifications, the setting resets, firmware updates put into windows update, forced restarts, ece are all still there. People think 10 was great but it really wasnt, and still isnt, compared to 7, they've jsut forgotten what it was like to use an OS from a more disconnected time.

It's XP Good - Vista Bad - 7 God tier - 8 Bad - 10 BAD - 11 Trash. 12 will be just as trash as 11, but with more AI spying tools and more lock down of the OS to microsoft cloud services.

 

[yRaz]

This is the last one for me. Windows 10 was ok, but 11 is a total shitshow. I'm moving to Linux permanently after this one.

I'm already 90% there and I just run windows 10 in a VM for everything that I can't get from Linux. How long has Windows 11 been out? 2 years? How can anyone take MS seriously at this point?

Thank goodness that Valve has been dumping millions into developing gaming for Linux because that's really the only thing stopping it from being 100% mainstream

 

[Vanderlinde]

This is the last one for me. Windows 10 was ok, but 11 is a total shitshow. I'm moving to Linux permanently after this one.

Yep. I feel the same way about it. And with WINE there's nothing you cannot emulate on Linux if your dependent of Windows Apps. The gaming ecosystem is growing on Linux as well. Only positive.

And much more secure.

 

[yRaz]

Yep. I feel the same way about it. And with WINE there's nothing you cannot emulate on Linux if your dependent of Windows Apps. The gaming ecosystem is growing on Linux as well. Only positive.

And much more secure.

There are 2 things, DRM and online multiplayer launchers. While you can emulate the launchers, people often get flagged for hacking and banned.

 

[RudyBob]

And don't forget your data will be even more secure with Win 12

 

[dangh]

If I wasn't a gamer, I would too. My laptop is Manjaro (with the pre-installed Windows 11 partition still on it but barely used), my desktop is Windows though. Gaming on Linux has come a long way, but it's got a ways to go before I would switch my desktop (or future gaming rigs) over there.

Pro-tip, if you do switch a laptop to Linux, research Wifi driver compatibility first. I didn't do that and had to build third-party "unofficial" drivers to get mine to work.

At least I got the laptop at a great discount, but still, the out-of-the-box experience can be more challenging in general. For example, disk encryption was not as smooth as it is with Bitlocker (Grub is really slow in verifying the password, and yeah there are workarounds, but really?), and power management isn't as good so the battery drains a little faster. Still, it's not bad once everything is setup. And you don't have to worry your OS pulling any shenanigans on you like forcing a web browser or pulling your data or whatever.

I'm a gamer, I went full Linux last year and have nothing to complain about. It works often better than Windows, and those few games which fails due to anti cheat I don't really care about. Now removing myself from other ms crap, I found that best place to write documents is not word but latex. It's absolutely great to use my intellij idea to write lab report, thesis, it just a simple document...
Btw seems you used some slowly updating release. Encryption on btrfs - tumbleweed - is transparent.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I'm in! I've had em all since Windows 2000. Windows isn't perfect, but since W7 it's been solid and stable for me. I still make occasional image backups ofc. The only delay that I blame Billy Gates for was Vista until SP1 dropped. I still miss Aero.

 

[toooooot]

and those few games which fails due to anti cheat I don't really care about.

I do, especially since I have a wide range of games from very different publishers.
The most important thing I expect from my PC is to work flawlessly and not give me bugs or break.
It has to do everything I need from it. Old operating systems and Linux are not famous to be that.

 

[Vanderlinde]

And don't forget your data will be even more secure with Win 12

lol... in pretty much all the services you use from MS, there's a simple thing where goverment officials can demand access and thus get that data off of you. Things might be encrypted at your place, while it's uploaded to MS, but once a warrant is out all of that security is pure obsolete.

Lately I've bin diving into the privacy matter - and really you barely have any privacy left. It's sickening how we mass consumers think we have privacy, and in reality we barely have any.

 

[RudyBob]

lol... in pretty much all the services you use from MS, there's a simple thing where goverment officials can demand access and thus get that data off of you. Things might be encrypted at your place, while it's uploaded to MS, but once a warrant is out all of that security is pure obsolete.

Lately I've bin diving into the privacy matter - and really you barely have any privacy left. It's sickening how we mass consumers think we have privacy, and in reality we barely have any.

well my tongue was in my cheek

 

[bandit8623]

I'm a gamer, I went full Linux last year and have nothing to complain about. It works often better than Windows, and those few games which fails due to anti cheat I don't really care about. Now removing myself from other ms crap, I found that best place to write documents is not word but latex. It's absolutely great to use my intellij idea to write lab report, thesis, it just a simple document...
Btw seems you used some slowly updating release. Encryption on btrfs - tumbleweed - is transparent.

not all games are playable on linux. valorant for one. cs2 gets way less frames on vulkan.