Rumors about the hypothetical development of Windows 12 began to arrive weeks ago, and now new data revealed by Windows Central offers us even more details of a singular approach to this new development.
A modern version of Windows. Microsoft already tried something similar with Windows 10X, an edition that prepared us for folding computers and that was going to eliminate support for Win32 applications, but that was finally canceled in favor of Windows 11. This time, however, Microsoft is going to take a different path.
CorePC. That’s the name of Microsoft’s new initiative. The goal is to create an operating system that is much better suited to different devices with different form factors. Each will be able to have certain features enabled and discard the rest, resulting in an optimal and lightweight experience for each class of product. Thus, on some devices traditional Win32 applications would not be supported, but for “classic” PCs they would continue to work as usual.
Modular. Contrary to what happened with Windows 10X, here Microsoft is going the opposite way, rebuilding Windows from scratch and adding only what is necessary. The design is modular, and adapts to each device.
Chrome OS. One of the goals is to develop products that compete with Chrome OS. These devices would work with web apps through Edge, Android apps, and Office apps. At Microsoft they already have a prototype that according to this information is between 60% and 75% lighter and smaller in size than Windows 11 SE, a light version dedicated to educational environments and aimed at modest computers. Thus, the prototype would be even more interesting for those areas.
separation of states. One of the pillars of this project is the so-called “separation of states” or “state separation”. That means that there will be different components of the operating system that will be divided into different partitions, many of which will not be accessible to the user. It is a concept that is used, for example, in iOS or Android, and allows for important advantages. For example, faster updates, a more compartmentalized and secure system, or improved factory reset, since those processes would affect those “private” partitions of the OS.
Windows 12 optimized for specific chips. Microsoft is also working on a “silicon-optimized” version of the devices, or what is the same, fully adapted to the processor or SoC on which that PC (or even mobile device) is based. ). This is something that Apple has been doing for some time with its Apple Silicon family (the M1 and the current M2), and it would allow us to approach that symbiosis between software and hardware that would make possible notable improvements in efficiency and performance.
Artificial intelligence will be the protagonist. If there is a field in which Microsoft is betting its future, that is AI, and this type of technology will also be a pillar of that hypothetical Windows 12. Among the features mentioned in Windows Central would be the ability for Windows ” see” the content of our screen and suggest actions. Bing’s presence with ChatGPT in the new Microsoft Edge as a side panel and those new AI “co-pilots” the company is integrating into GitHub and Office seem like likely companions to the desktop experience as well.
In Xataka | Nine things I like and six things to improve in Windows 11
