Oh dear, Windows 12 might have just been leaked…by Microsoft and Intel

While there have been rumors abound about a possible WIndows 12 release, this latest leak seems to be the most concrete evidence we have yet of the new OS’s existence.

Hardware leaker @leaf_hobby, which was reported on by The Verge, revealed details on Intel’s Meteor Lake desktop platform. According to those details, Intel reportedly mentioned that its upcoming CPUs will support Windows 12. Since then, the tweet has been deleted and both Microsoft and Intel have declined to comment to The Verge on the validity of this report and other rumors.

Previous to this leak, Zac Bowden of Windows Central reported that Microsoft would be switching to a new engineering schedule that would see a new version of WIndows OS released every three years. If this turns out to be accurate information, it would put the next release, Windows 12, at 2024.

Bowden also reported that the next Windows OS release is called ‘Next Valley’. There was even an image shown of the OS at Ignite 2022, in which the design was supposedly meant to adapt to different devices and accessories. 

Another rumor that’s less than desirable

There’s also a rumor that Windows 12 might be the first cloud-based OS, which doesn’t sound particularly far-fetched. If this is true, it could be hosted off-device and bundled with computing and storage as part of a subscription package. Honestly, I find that future frightening.

We already have plenty of software, like the Adobe suite and Microsoft Office, that works on a subscription-based model. And that alone is difficult to deal with if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford the expensive pricing. But at least these products can easily be replaced by open-sourced free versions.

Having an OS not hard installed on a PC is a completely different beast. A variation, virtual desktop setups, have been in use by businesses for years to support BYOD scenarios but it’s nothing compared to having the OS on any Windows PC or laptop based in cloud storage, with features that are supposed to be standard doled out at a premium price. 

Hopefully, this is one set of rumors that are disproven with time.