Windows 12, the successor to Windows 11, could benefit from a completely revamped interface if experts who spotted a strange screenshot are to be believed. The point on the future operating system of Microsoft.
Error, clumsiness or leak discreetly organized to feed rumours? Hard to say today. Still, when the Ignite conference that Microsoft held between October 12 and 14, 2022 for developers and IT professionals, experts with particularly keen eyesight spotted in the presentations a strange screenshot that could give an idea of what to what Windows 12, the next PC operating system that will succeed Windows 11, will look like. As they explain in their article, the sleuths of Windows Central thought they recognized a prototype interface supposed to simplify interactions on the touch screens of laptops and tablets. And which could serve as a basis for the future system… The image seen briefly being of poor quality, these specialists had fun reconstructing it properly. And even if it is only a concept – a fantasy? –, several important points seem to emerge from the supposed projects of Microsoft.
Which interface for Windows 12?
Thus, in addition to an obvious general purification, which is part of the continuity of the process started for Windows 11, there is a greater modularity of the functional elements with even some ideas visibly inspired by macOS. The taskbar with its icons centered is still there, but it seems detachable, so it can be positioned anywhere on the screen. Status icons (Wi-Fi, battery, time) appear at the top right, like on a smartphone. And weather info is displayed in the upper left corner. While a floating search box – and resembling Spotlight on Mac – is found in the middle, at the top, independent of the taskbar. In fact, everything seems softer, and designed for hybrid use, both for touchscreen and for the classic keyboard-mouse couple.
When will Windows 12 be released?
Of course, Microsoft has not commented on this concept image, and nothing says that the publisher is really looking in this direction. But we can legitimately assume that the designers and ergonomists of Redmond are working seriously on the interface of the future system to make it clearer, more practical and more pleasant, taking into account the errors of the past – Windows Vista, Windows 8… – and new user expectations and habits. For now, we don’t know anything official about Windows 12. Windows Central sleuths are counting on a release in 2024, but Microsoft seems mainly focused on Windows 11 which is still struggling to deploy, a year after its release, in particular because of its hardware requirements – especially since the big October 2022 update, known as 22H2, is being released in dribs and drabs, with many issues not yet resolved. The path will undoubtedly be long before presenting a successful successor, both reliable and innovative.