We know Microsoft has been working on a lighter version of Windows 10, which they have since abandoned to focus on something else. And while we don’t know what that something else is just, yet the rumour mill has been doing the rounds claiming it is Windows 11 (or whatever Microsoft chooses to call it), which could be launched at a special Microsoft event next week which Microsoft has said will focus on the “next generation” of the Windows OS.
Now to add even more evidence that we can expect a new version of Windows coming out is a new change that Microsoft has made to its support life cycle page, which speaks about the support for Windows 10 coming to an end on October 14th, 2025. And there is no reason Microsoft would want to look to end the support of its existing operating system if it weren’t planning on launching a new version soon.
You might look at that date though and feel like if they do intend to release a new version of Windows soon, then 2025 is still too soon to end support for what is Microsoft’s most widely used version of Windows ever. Though, it is likely that date refers to a certain earlier version of Windows 10, rather than the updated version they are dropping every quarter. With Windows 10 though far outlasting its initial expectations, as Microsoft has always released new operating systems every three or four years and outlasting its initial 10 years of support for the OS that was set for October 13th, 2020, you have to acknowledge that Microsoft has done a good job in keeping Windows 10 going for as long as it has.
And what can we expect from Windows 11, a new leak has made its way online (as revealed by The Verge’s Tom Warren) that might give us a clue to what to expect, with a start button moved to the centre – similar to Apple’s MacOS and changes to the way Windows expand, with options to split-screen apps instead. And Skype is finally no longer included – because no one used it anyway. Outside of that, it just appears to be minor cosmetic changes, though given this is a leak – there are likely many big changes coming to Windows that aren’t realized here yet. Or Microsoft is reserving its biggest changes for under the hood rather than making dramatic UI changes to what is already a fairly intuitive OS.
Perhaps worth noting even further though is that Microsoft also has a reputation for following up stellar operating systems with turds. As was the case for Windows ME, Vista and 8 following the excellent Windows 98, XPs and 7 respectively. So, if Microsoft continues with that trend, you may want to avoid rushing to update and see how it turns out and see if Microsoft has finally broken that curve and produced two stellar OS in a row. Either way, with Microsoft eager to push to end support for Windows 10, we may be forced to make a jump regardless of how the next version of Windows pans out.
Last Updated: June 17, 2021
Original Heretic
June 17, 2021 at 13:14
Next one has to be “Doors”.
Iskape
June 18, 2021 at 04:15
I am positive when they released Windows 10 they said they were not going to release any new versions of Windows, but rather update Windows 10! Did I imagine these words?
MaSeKind
June 18, 2021 at 07:15
Nope that was exactly what they said. Not sure who is in charge on Windows these days but they have no clue what they are doing. Everything needs to be redesigned and changed these days for no other reason than to change things