For those unaware, the next big update is called Windows 11 24H2, and it will begin rolling out in two phases: Snapdragon X Elite will ship with it in mid-2024, and existing devices will begin receiving the OTA (over-the-air) update in September or October. What’s particularly interesting is that some of the AI features won’t be ready until fall.

These features may include “AI Explorer,” which Microsoft may have teased in a new document. The Build 2024 developer conference event document states that a new AI feature in Windows 11 will enable “deeper interaction,” allowing you to explore your digital lives through advanced AI features.

“Today, we’re showcasing brand-new features that allow users deeper interaction with their digital lives on Windows through advance AI features. Come discover how your apps can integrate with these experiences and increase user engagement and satisfaction,” Microsoft noted in an event document titled “Designing for a brand new Windows AI feature”.

The event has two speakers – Rebecca Del Rio and Adrienne Pauley. According to a LinkedIn profile seen by Windows Latest, Microsoft’s Rebecca Del Rio has worked on the “AI-suggestions for copy-paste and Clipboard-related actions” feature for Windows 11:

Brainstormed alongside eight team members on the Observational Assistance (OA) team of the Developer and eXperience Platform (DXP) division of Windows to design innovative automations and AI-suggestions for copy-paste and Clipboard-related actions

Microsoft’s Adrienne Pauley has worked on “Windows AI Experiences”, and it’s possible the Build 2024 developer conference may focus on the “Explorer AI” feature.

Local AI is coming to Windows 11 using PowerToys

PowerToys is also expected to get some AI-related features on Windows 11 and Windows 10 in a few weeks.

The feature is called “PowerToys Advanced Paste with Local AI”, and Microsoft states that the app could be updated to leverage “AI through the use of AI backed APIs and on device ML models” to power the new “Advanced Paste”.

Advanced Paste is likely related to some clipboard functionality.

“Learn how PowerToys leverages AI through the use of AI backed APIs and on device ML models to power the new Advanced Paste feature,” Microsoft explained.

It’s unclear if the PowerToys AI feature will require an NPU-capable PC, but we don’t think it will be limited to new-generation hardware.

The post Microsoft teases a big Windows 11 AI upgrade, local AI and more appeared first on Windows Latest

A few weeks ago, I was invited* to Qualcomm’s headquarters in San Diego for some hands on demos of the X Elite platform to answer just that – how does the Snapdragon X Elite stack up to the competition?

Benchmarks

During the demos, we had access to a few reference hardware systems that were running pre-defined benchmarks, such as 3D Mark, Jetstream, etc. The table below lists some of the results of these tests that were running on a 23w Snapdragon X Elite model (system wattage not package wattage) versus an Intel Core Ultra 7 155h:

As you can see from the numbers above, the X Elite is no slouch, beating out the Intel Core Ultra 7 155h in every single benchmark at just a fraction of the power draw. And that’s the key for me, at least – the fact the X Elite was running a total system power draw of around 23w compared to the 100+w that just the CPU can draw on the Intel system.

Snapdragon X Elite benchmarks

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Power vs Performance

One thing that’s interesting is the way that Qualcomm provides power information for their platform. Unlike traditional chip manufacturers, the CPU is not measured in TDP (or Thermal Design Power), which is a number that’s used to effectively measure amount of heat expected for a CPU under load. While not based on ‘power consumption’ per say, reviewers usually refer to this number as sort of a de-facto reference to the raw power of a chip. Qualcomm, instead, is using system total power, most likely carried over from how they measure power consumption of their mobile platform chips like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This means that like in the example system above, the 23 watt figure is for the entire system and not just the CPU, presumably leading to the fact the CPU uses even less power – which is something I’m eager to test once I get my hands on actual hardware.

Unfortunately we didn’t have the ability to measure temperatures or other metrics on these systems, but speaking from experience as someone who uses a newer 13th gen Intel Core Ultra 7 laptop for work that idles at or above 60 degrees Celsius, having something that can be even more efficient at just a fraction of the power draw is a very attractive prospect.

Gaming

But can you run games? The answer, of course, is yes! While these are not marketed as ‘gaming systems’, that doesn’t mean we can’t run games well enough for some light gaming on the go.

We were able to experience a few game demos such as Baulders Gate 3, Control, and Redout 2, and in the videos below you can see how well they were running. I won’t get into a debate on 30fps vs 60fps, but to my eyes you can get a good enough gaming experience for some light on the go gaming if you wanted to squeeze a few rounds in between meetings.

Baulders Gate 3

While I’m unsure what graphical settings were selected, the resolution was at 1080p and was hovering around 30fps for this demo, without any stuttering.

Redout 2

Again, this game was running at 1080p but with framerates well above 30fps.

It’s worthwhile to re-iterate the fact these systems are not marketed as gaming system, but rather a testament to the work Qualcomm has done in conjunction with Microsoft to make Windows 11 ARM (and the X Elite GPU) work well enough to run modern games.

On-Device AI

One of the more interesting aspects of the X Elite platform is on-device AI processing. While Intel and AMD have released their own offerings with dedicated NPU’s (or Neural Processing Units), the X Elite is the most powerful, at least on paper. For comparison’s sake, Intel combines NPU with its CPU/GPU to process on-device AI to increase its processing power which could lead to increased battery life and slower performance, while the X Elite has enough raw processing in a dedicated NPU to run all AI tasks without the need of the CPU or GPU (but can also run on the GPU/CPU if needed, but that isn’t the focus).

AI is currently measured in a value called TOPS (or trillions of operations per second) which tells us how fast AI models can be processed on-device:

As you can see the X Elite comes out well on top compared to Intel and AMD’s current offerings.

So what does this mean in real world performance/applications? It means you can process AI models very fast. How fast? Here’s a video I had to take a few times because it was happening so quick. The demo is on-device Stable Diffusion which takes a text prompt and generates an image:

Blink and you might miss it. What’s especially impressive about this demo is that the entire Stable Diffusion model is happening on-device running only on the Hexagon NPU. And while it is possible to do something similar on an AMD or Intel system with combined NPU/CPU/GPU, this ends up being less efficient and requires more power. NPUs are specifically designed for AI processing tasks, so using a dedicated NPU makes a lot more sense especially on a laptop where every minute of battery life counts.

The future of computing

So after all of these demos and benchmarks, you may be asking, when will we get to see real models with this chip? The answer is soon. By all accounts we’ve heard summer 2024 will see a flurry of announcements from OEMs like Dell, Acer, Lenovo and even Microsoft’s own Surface lineup.

We’ll definitely revisit once we can get our hands on actual production hardware, but in the meantime, we are very anxiously awaiting products powered by Snapdragon X Elite as it has the potential to completely change the compute space for the better.

*Qualcomm was gracious enough to invite me to their HQ in San Diego for these demos and paid for travel and accommodation, but otherwise they had no editorial influence.

The post Hands-on with Snapdragon X Elite: Benchmarks, games, NPU processing and more appeared first on Windows Latest

An early build of Windows 11 24H2 LTSC was previously spotted in February. Today, we have spotted Build 26100 of Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 on BetaWorld (a Chinese forum). What’s particularly interesting is that the leaked Windows 11 24H2 is Build 26100, which is believed to be one of the final (RTM) candidates.

In our tests, we observed that Windows 11 24H2 LTSC will be offered in multiple editions, including Enterprise LTSC, IoT (Internet of Things) Enterprise LTSC, and IoT Enterprise Subscription LTSC (this doesn’t mean Microsoft is turning Windows into a subscription-based OS for consumers).

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise Subscription LTSC is a special version for businesses, but we’re still figuring out how it’s different from the regular version.

Windows 11 24H2 includes a new Windows Setup experience, but the installation process remains the same. We also spotted a new design for “Select location to install Windows 11”, where you can load a driver, delete, format or create portions, and then finalize the location.

Windows 11 LTSC setup screenshots

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You can also choose between “Install Windows 11” and “Repair my PC”, which is a fresh install.

Windows Latest observed that Microsoft isn’t making dramatic changes to the setup process or OOBE. This means you can still sign in without your Microsoft account.

You can also create a local account by selecting Domain Join instead.

Windows 11 LTSC desktop experience

There are no major changes to the overall experience, but several new features are included, including a few new or updated apps like Dev Home.

We also spotted that the Copilot button is pinned to the right side of the taskbar, but this doesn’t confirm Windows 11 LTSC will ship with the AI feature turned on by default. It’s a leaked preview build, and things are always subject, so it wouldn’t be fair to make conclusions based on leaked builds.

If LTSC does ship with Copilot, you can always turn it off using Group Policy Editor.

Here are some screenshots without Windows Copilot in LTSC.

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The leak also confirms Microsoft will ship the next LTSC release with a new version of Outlook, which is based on Outlook.com.

Windows 11 LTSC lands this fall

With Microsoft ending support for various Windows 10 versions by October 2025, the new Windows 11 LTSC is coming soon. Windows 10 LTSC versions from 2019 and 2021 will still be supported until January 2029 and January 2027 respectively.

Windows 11 LTSC will give companies a system they can rely on for at least ten years.

Microsoft will share more details about Windows 11 LTSC 2024 closer to its release, keeping everyone ready and informed of the update. Also, please do not install the leaked preview build of the LTSC. It can be buggy, and the Windows 11 2024 Update isn’t ready until September.

Special thanks to PhantomOfEarth for the heads-up via one of his X posts.

The post Hands on: Windows 11 version 24H2 LTSC Build 26100 leaks online appeared first on Windows Latest

In Windows 11 24H2, File Explorer gets more of these subtle improvements. Let’s discuss these in detail.

Context Menu Labels

The old context menu in File Explorer had icons for common actions like copy, paste, etc. It was a good way to use less space and declutter the context menu. However, the icons were slightly confusing and lacked labels.

Windows 11 24H2 fixes this by adding labels to these icons. The labels appear below the icons making it easy to identify the icons and avoid clicking on the wrong one.

Copilot in File Explorer

Copilot can identify any copied text and present the options to summarize, explain, or send the text to the Copilot window. Following these lines, if you select any file in the File Explorer window, you can send it to Copilot for summarizing or other relevant actions.

For example, sending an image to the Copilot window will produce image-editing-related options like upscaling.

Batch changes for all Conflicts in the Extract window

When you extract an archive to a folder location and encounter naming conflicts, you cannot batch-apply an action for all files.

Windows 11 24H2 fixes this issue and allows you to skip the action or rename all the files in the destination. It is similar to the checkbox option which appears while copying files in a folder location.

Edit PNG Files Metadata

File Explorer now supports editing PNG file metadata and other image formats like JPG. You can tweak the image metadata to add tags, and ratings, change the image title, and other identifiable details.

Create TAR and 7z Archives

Windows 11 23H2 added support for multiple archive formats, including RAR, TAR, and more. Sadly, it could not create archives in these formats.

While the RAR archiving is still out of the picture, you can easily compress files in TAR and 7z format. Select a file or multiple files and click on the Compress to option. You can choose the appropriate format and then create the archive.

Microsoft hasn’t reached a deal with WinRAR, so you will have to wait for natively archived files in RAR format.

These are some new improvements included in the Windows 11 24H2 File Explorer. Outside of the Windows 11 version 24H2 release, Microsoft plans to enable drag and drop support for the address bar in an upcoming cumulative update.

The post New features coming to File Explorer in Windows 11 24H2 appeared first on Windows Latest

Microsoft watchers like Zac Bowden had already predicted Windows 11 24H2 would be released to manufacturers in April, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. If you’ve subscribed to the Windows Insider Program, you might have noticed that recent Canary or Dev builds mostly have bug fixes as the update is in the final stage of development.

Unlike Windows 11 23H2, which is based on version 22H2 (codename Nickel), Windows 11 version 24H2 is a new platform release codenamed Germanium. What’s also particularly interesting is that Windows 11 24H2 features will be rolled out in two phases, with the first “base” update shipping with new Snapdragon X Elite PCs in June.

Then, in September or October, Microsoft will begin rolling out Windows 11 version 24H2 to all existing PCs. At the same time, it will release another feature update (possibly a Windows Moment update) to turn on the new AI features on Snapdragon X Elite and other supported PCs.

What is the release date of Windows 11 24H2?

Here’s a possible timeline for the Windows 11 24H2 rollout:

• Snapdragon X Elite PCs ship with Windows 11 version 24H2 (base release) with several new features, but some AI features could be missing. At this point, you won’t get Windows 11 24H2 on existing PCs.
• Microsoft plans to release an update in September or October. This update will add the remaining “exciting” features of Windows 11 24H2 to the Snapdragon X Elite PCs that initially received Germanium.
• In September or October, when Microsoft ships additional AI features to the X Elite lineup, it will also start to offer Windows 11 version 24H2 (Germanium) for existing Windows PCs (those you use currently).

While you can run Windows 11 24H2 on Snapdragon X Elite-powered hardware as early as June, that version will not have all the features.

What to expect from the next big Windows platform release

You’ll notice several groundbreaking changes in the initial base or platform release of Windows 11 24H2.

For example, Microsoft is bringing AI-powered Voice Clarity to all devices, which was previously exclusive to the Surface lineup. This feature uses “low-complexity AI models” to automatically reduce background noise and help you sound better in video calls.

Additionally, the Windows 11 24H2 platform release (June) will ship with the following improvements:

• Sudo for Windows.
  
• Energy Saver in Settings.
• New Microsoft Teams client, which is based on React and Microsoft Edge WebView.
  
• New Color Management settings page

You’ll also notice some quality improvements, such as labels for the context menu in File Explorer and the ability to create archives (7z, TAR, etc).

In September or October, when Microsoft begins the second phase of the Windows 11 24H2 rollout and starts shipping the update to all PCs, you’ll get a few new AI features.

This could include the new “AI Explorer“, which is similar to Windows 10 Timeline, but it has nothing to do with File Explorer. “AI Explorer” will transform activities you perform on your PC into searchable moments. For example, you can ask the AI about the document you read yesterday.

For File Explorer, Microsoft is testing “Copilot” in the context menu, which allows you to send files to the AI to generate a summary.

Again, since we’re talking about Microsoft here, remember that plans are subject to change, and we don’t know what other new features will be included in the second wave.

Developer raises concerns about fewer stable preview builds ahead of RTM

Some users aren’t happy with the way the Windows Insider program tests builds with the public.

Albacore, an independent developer and creator of the famous ViVe tool, recently shared some valid concerns about the slow pace at which stable preview builds of Windows 11 24H2 are being released, especially with the deadline for the final version, commonly referred to as “RTM,” just weeks away.

Responding to these concerns, Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc tried to ease the anxiety, noting, “I wouldn’t be too concerned nor should you get too hooked into what is “RTM’ing” and when.”

However, the Albacore doubled down on their concerns, highlighting the potential negative impacts of this approach. They added that this approach often leads to large zero-day patches and poor first-time experiences on new, especially lower and middle-range, PCs.

They stressed that neglecting this aspect could alienate a significant portion of their user base, particularly those with less powerful hardware.

“We’ll fix it in post” is annoying for pretty much anyone using something weaker than an i5 nowadays and there’s very little thought given to this category of consumers. OS upgrades fare even worse, making the client do LCU integration instead of shipping an updated base image,” Albacore added.

Microsoft claims it works hard to address these concerns, and they have “got a lot of smart engineers working on builds over here and fixing bugs”.

The concerns remain, but as we’re in the era of “Windows as a Service”, Microsoft will continue to ship cumulative updates to iron out bugs in version 24H2 ahead of a wider release in the fall.

The post Microsoft to finalize Windows 11 24H2 RTM candidate in the coming days appeared first on Windows Latest

Starting with version 24H2, you can now change ‘Lid, power, and sleep button controls‘ using the Settings app if you use a laptop. These options were previously limited to the Control Panel.

However, for desktop users, the Power settings appear differently. You will only see the “Power button controls” option, but the hibernate option is missing from the dropdown menu.

In Windows 11 23H2 or Moment 5, you can only change the Power plan mode and tweak the Screen and Sleep timeouts. If you use a laptop, you will also see the Hibernate option in the Screen and Sleep timeouts dropdown menu.

The next utility migrated to the Settings app is Display Color Management. You can now launch the legacy tool from the Color profile section in Display settings. However, Microsoft is still working on the migration, and it may still open the legacy tool.

You can easily load Color profiles to improve the display output and even map a color profile to one or multiple displays. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to the Display > Color profile option.
2. Click the Add profile button, browse, and select a color profile file.
3. Load it up and apply the new color profile.

Previously, Microsoft also added an automatic color management option to manage colors on supported displays.

Storage Pool’s advance toggle moves to Settings

Settings now include the option to delete a Storage Pool directly. Previously, users had to navigate to the Control Panel’s version of Storage Pool to delete it, but now there is a “Delete this Storage pool” option available in the Settings.

Moreover, while the Control Panel requires administrative privileges to delete the Storage pool, the Settings app doesn’t require administrative privileges to delete a Storage Pool.

Windows 11 Pro will get Drive Encryption

Microsoft is also trying to make the Bitlocker setup more convenient for Windows 11 Pro.

Currently, BitLocker is exclusive to Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise machines. Windows 11 Home offers Device Encryption, which is based on BitLocker. Like Windows 11 Home, Pro editions will soon show the Device Encryption option in the Settings app.

It will appear under the Privacy & Security section, and you can use it to encrypt data on the installed disks. Remember, it won’t work on USB devices. You must use the BitLocker page in the Control Panel to do so.

Microsoft is still working on moving everything to the Settings app and reducing dependence on Control Panel applets.

All the changes described in this post are limited to the Windows 11 24H2 preview builds, but they will arrive in a stable channel later this year.

It is worth noting that some options that appear in the Settings app will still try to open the Control Panel applet.

The post Windows 11 24H2 moves more Control Panel features to Settings appeared first on Windows Latest

In an update to its support document, Microsoft has announced it will stop supporting the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) by March 5, 2025. This means the Amazon Appstore on Windows and any games or apps that need the Android subsystem won’t work after that date.

“Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will no longer be supported beginning March 5, 2025,” Microsoft noted in an update to its support document.

This news could come as a shock to many, but I saw this coming. According to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans, WSA adoption was too low, and the company decided to pull the plug.

That’s still a classic Microsoft move. As noted by former Microsoft dev Michael Niehaus on X, “the cycle is all too common” – Microsoft release something half-baked or with a limited audience, no one uses it, feature gets discontinued.”

Windows Subsystem for Android rollout was a mess

Windows Subsystem for Android was announced during the Windows 11 launch event, but when the OS began shipping on stable systems, the WSA was noticeably missing from the release. It wasn’t until four months after the launch of Windows 11 that the WSA finally made its debut, but only in the United States.

This limited rollout began with updates for Windows Insiders in the US, allowing them to test and use Android apps on Windows 11. Following this initial release, it took another seven months before the WSA became available in additional regions like the UK, Canada, and Germany.

WSA’s availability was limited, as many people outside the US couldn’t try Android apps on Windows 11 without joining the Insider Program.

Additionally, the selection of apps in the Amazon Appstore for Windows was quite restricted, especially when compared to the vast array of apps found in the Google Play Store.

Amazon pulls its AppStore from Windows 11

If you’ve downloaded the Amazon App Store or any Android apps before March 5, 2024, you can still use them until support ends in 2025.

In a separate blog post, Amazon also confirmed its Appstore on Windows 11 is going away as Microsoft has ended support for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA).

In our tests, it’s already impossible to search for Amazon Appstore or its apps in the Microsoft Store.

The post Microsoft is killing off Windows 11 Subsystem for Android after a messy rollout appeared first on Windows Latest

We all know Aplpe Silicon M chips for computers are incredibly powerful without consuming too much power. Qualcomm has been trying to build a processor to rival the Apple M lineup for years, and it has been closely working with Microsoft on Windows 11-optimized “Snapdragon X Elite”.

In an earnings call, Qualcomm previously confirmed it’s planning to launch Snapdragon X Elite for Windows 11 in mid-2024 with AI features, and now benchmarks have been spotted on Geekbench. While previous versions of Snapdragon ARM chips failed to beat Apple M, this one outperforms M1 and M2 and is close to M3 performance.

As you can see in the above screenshot, the Geekbench test confirms that the Snapdragon X Elite is a powerful chip with a single-core score of 2,574. It’s a measure of raw processing power for single-threaded apps on a prototype device running early preview builds of Windows 11 version 24H2.

This score represents the performance of a single CPU core when running tasks that don’t benefit from multiple cores.

On the other hand, Snapdragon X Elite has touched a multi-core score of 12,562, which reflects the combined performance of all CPU cores when running multi-threaded tasks, which is essential for workloads that can be parallelized across multiple cores.

The benchmark mentions the “Snapdragon X Elite – XE1800”, which has 12 cores in total – one cluster with eight cores and a second cluster with four cores. This is a typical big.LITTLE architecture, where some cores are optimized for performance while others are optimized for efficiency.

We’ve spotted as many as five listings for Snapdragon X Elite on Geekbench with varying test scores.

Top Result:

• Single-Core Score: 2574
• Multi-Core Score: 12562

This result shows the highest multi-core score among the five, suggesting optimal multi-threaded performance on this date.

Second result:

• Single-Core Score: 2565
• Multi-Core Score: 11778

This shows a slight decrease in both single-core and multi-core scores compared to the top result, possibly due to different system conditions (perhaps a battery saver mode or some other adjustments?).

Third Result:

• Single-Core Score: 2517
• Multi-Core Score: 11010

This benchmark has notably lower scores in both categories compared to the first two, suggesting different test conditions or a less optimized system state.

Fourth Result:

• Single-Core Score: 2548
• Multi-Core Score: 11253

The single-core score is pretty consistent with the other results but still shows strong performance.

Fifth Result:

• Single-Core Score: 2434
• Multi-Core Score: 11351

This is the lowest single-core score among the five, which might indicate thermal throttling.

Snapdragon X Elite vs Apple M3 benchmark comparison

The X Elite chips are faster than the previous generations of Apple M, which shouldn’t be a surprise as Qualcomm’s new processor has more cores.

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To compare the Apple M3 (from the MacBook Pro 16-inch, Nov 2023) with the top result of the Snapdragon X Elite, let’s take a closer look at the following data we extracted from Geekbench.

Snapdragon X Elite:

• Single-Core Score: 2574
• Multi-Core Score: 12562
• CPU: Snapdragon X Elite – XE1800 – Qualcomm Oryon CPU with 12 cores (configuration not specified in the comparison).
• Test hardware: Prototype running Windows 11 preview builds.

Single-Core Score: 3181

• Multi-Core Score: 15620
• CPU: Apple M3 Pro with 12 cores and a base frequency of 4.05 GHz.
• Memory: 36.00 GB
• Test hardware: MacBook running stable macOS.

As you can see in the above comparison, the Apple M3 is quicker than the Snapdragon when doing jobs that only need one core. When you have to do many jobs simultaneously (like editing videos, running simulations, or opening many apps), the Apple M3 can also handle more at once.

Both have the same number of cores (12), but the Apple M3 runs at a higher speed (4.05 GHz compared to the Snapdragon’s speed, which is not mentioned here).

While Apple M3 is still much better in these tests, it is important to understand that the leaked Snapdragon X Elite was tested on a device running Windows 11’s unoptimized preview builds.

In other words, the actual hardware will likely produce better results.

The post Windows 11 Snapdragon X Elite benchmark shows Apple M3 performance gap is closing appeared first on Windows Latest

Thanks to the documents we recently spotted, we know that the next Windows release will be called “Windows 11 24H2,” not Windows 12, as some might believe. In a blog post, Microsoft later confirmed it is working on a Windows 11 release with version 24H2, pausing all Windows 12 rumours.

When Microsoft confirms big Windows releases, they also change their support documentation and commit the changes to Github. In one of the commits, we previously spotted version 24H2, and now another support document on the company’s website clearly shows a reference to “Windows 11 2024 Update.”

This update will offer many changes, ranging from AI to Sudo for Windows, improved native archive integration, and Wi-Fi 7.

In one of the release notes for Wi-Fi drivers, Intel also confirmed that Windows 11’s next update will ship with Wi-Fi 7.

So, if you have supported Intel hardware and are on Windows 11 preview builds, you can already experience the new Wi-Fi 7 improvements.

Intel warns that the Wi-Fi 7 capabilities require a “pending OS” update, so even if you grab the new drivers and install them on your production PC, you won’t be able to use the Wi-Fi 7 capabilities until the update is officially released.

Windows 11 2024 Update is a good name

The next Windows update has a simple marketing name: ‘Windows 11 2024 Update’, and it’s good (and perhaps better than the Windows 10 naming approach).

Windows updates often have different version numbers and marketing names. This allows the tech giant to distinguish between major, feature-rich updates and regular, more minor updates like Moment updates or Patch Tuesday releases that offer quality improvements.

The naming conventions for Windows versions have always been a hot topic of discussion as the company’s approach has changed significantly over the years. Microsoft has used a variety of naming conventions for Windows 10 releases, including “Anniversary Update” and “Creators Update.”

And there were some other names, too, such as “Windows Spring Updates,” that were confusing. Let’s take a closer look at Windows’ naming convention history. For Windows 10:

• Version 1507: This was the first release of Windows 10, so it didn’t have a specific marketing name.
• Version 1607: This was the first big update to the OS, and Microsoft called it the Anniversary Update.
• Version 1703: This update focused on creativity tools, so it was called the Creators Update.
• Version 1709: Since the update was released in the fall of the same year when Creators, Microsoft dubbed it the “Fall Creators Update”.

And it’s good until here, but the company later shifted to a new naming convention that many disliked:

• Version 1903: This update, which was released in May 2019, was called “May 2019 Update”, but most people could not grab it until the end of the year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
• Version 20H2: Launched in the second half of 2020, this update was called “October 2020 Update”.

With Windows 11, Microsoft has been shifting to a more predictable update cycle, using a simple “Windows 10 2022 Update” for the second update to the OS and “Windows 11 2023 Update” for the third OS release.

The next release is now called “Windows 11 2024 Update”, which I think is good.

Microsoft uses a year-and-a-half format (like 24H2 for the second half of 2024), which makes it easier to understand when the update was released.

The post Microsoft confirms “Windows 11 2024 Update”, Intel says it will include Wi-Fi 7 appeared first on Windows Latest

Windows Latest had spotted references to “Windows 11 24H2” in support documents, and Microsoft has now officially confirmed the update. In a new blog post announcing Sudo for Windows, Microsoft noted that testers in the Dev/Canary channels will notice “Windows 11 version 24H2” in Settings, Winver and other places.

This confirms the big update of the year is called “Windows 11 24H2”, and not “Windows 12”. Windows 11 24H2 is supposed to be the biggest “AI upgrade” for the OS and will carry a Build number in the 26xxx range. You’ll notice the updated version and numbers in Settings > System > About after installing Build 26052 or newer.

“This denotes that Windows 11, version 24H2 will be this year’s annual feature update, Microsoft noted.

“Windows 11 will have an annual feature update cadence that releases in the second half of the calendar year,” the company clarified, adding that it will continue to focus on the annual feature update approach.

Even though companies like Qualcomm suggested Microsoft might release something like Windows 12, Microsoft has decided to stick with Windows 11 for now.

So does that mean bigger changes are not expected? Well, not really. It is important to understand that the branding of Windows releases isn’t important.

Even though the next version of Windows isn’t named Windows 12, but rather “Windows 11 2024 Update,” it doesn’t mean there won’t be significant updates or changes. The names and branding of the operating system are chosen by the marketing team, which means they can decide on any name that fits their strategy.

Windows has a new leadership headed by the Microsoft Bing team, which wants more people to try Windows Copilot and other AI features. To achieve this, Microsoft plans to focus on releasing new updates for Windows 11 instead of creating another Windows release like Windows 12.

It is worth noting that Windows 12 has not been cancelled, and it may still happen in 2025 or later. According to sources familiar with the development, Microsoft is also believed to be working on a ChromeOS-like variant of the OS to take on the Chromebooks in the education market.

The post Microsoft confirms Windows 12 is not happening this year appeared first on Windows Latest