14 DAY TRIAL // Back in the days when Windows 10 was still a new thing, Microsoft advertised the operating system as “Windows,” therefore suggesting that no new stand-alone version of Windows would ever be released.
In other words, Windows was an operating system supposed to only be serviced with feature updates that would be released at a regular cadence, therefore replacing the stand-alone versions of Windows completely.
The whole strategy changed when Microsoft announced Windows 11, essentially stepping away from this approach and returning to rolling out stand-alone versions of Windows once again.
And according to a report from WindowsCentral, this is Microsoft’s new release schedule once again, as the company will continue shipping new Windows versions going forward.
In other words, Microsoft will release Windows 12 at some point in 2024, with the company to ship feature updates for Windows 11 in the meantime.
Windows 10 EOL in 2025
At first glance, the schedule is as simple as it could be, and in many ways, it looks similar to the one that Microsoft used in the days of Windows 7. A new Windows version would go live every three years, with feature updates to land in between.
Needless to say, the software giant has remained completely tight-lipped on everything, so maybe the plan would change in the meantime once again. But at first glance, this is the approach that makes more sense in the long term, especially as Windows 11 landed as such a big surprise for everybody out there.
For the time being, however, Windows 11 is Microsoft’s main focus, with the debut of Windows 12 in 2024 to therefore continue the company’s migration to modern operating systems. The timing seems just about right at first glance.
Windows 12 could go live in 2024, with the broad availability to then be completed a year later. In 2025, Microsoft will also retire Windows 10 completely.