It looks like we’ve gotten the clearest indication yet that a brand new version of Windows is coming next year.
Windows Latest reports that Intel Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner confirmed at a recent technology conference that the next version of Windows will indeed be released in 2024.
Zinsner noted, “We actually think 2024 is going to be a pretty good year for the customer, especially because of the Windows refresh.”
So it is clear that Intel has been notified that a new version of Windows will be released next year.
While there’s no mention of the name Windows 12, or any other name for that matter, “Refresh Windows” is clearly not the title Microsoft will opt for when it comes to Windows 11’s successor.
Analysis: Playing the name game
Of course, there are already plenty of rumors that Microsoft will release a next-gen Windows in 2024. And there is plenty of speculation that this will also be called Windows 12, but the reality is that Microsoft may be in deep trouble right now. is working on this next version, but probably don’t know what it will be called yet.
Of course, Windows 12 seems the most likely default option. About the only other possibility that comes to mind is that Microsoft wants to put Copilot in the name, or maybe “AI” or something along those lines, since it’s the next big thing (TM). And Copilot will certainly be significantly developed in a year.
You may recall that Intel was previously the source of a leak about the next generation of Windows, a leak that actually used the name Windows 12 when talking about support for upcoming processors. However, this information was quickly retracted when it was reported, and we didn’t want to read about the use of the name, as we just mentioned.
The next generation of Windows, be it Windows 12 or Windows AI – or fill in your own guess here – is expected to arrive later in the second half of 2024 (work on the new operating system theoretically started in early 2022).
We expect it to be built around major advances with Copilot, which will undoubtedly be used to push it as a compelling upgrade. Microsoft will be looking for a sizable carrot to dangle to potential upgraders, especially considering that Windows 11 has quite miserably failed to gain that much traction in its two years of existence so far.