With less than 24 months to go before Windows 10 loses free official support, and that operating system still installed on more than 65 percent of devices, Microsoft has tried multiple times to convince its users to upgrade to Windows 11. But its absurd hardware requirements and Redmond's lack of response to feedback provoke a natural and inevitable reaction: to imagine what Windows 12 will offer. The YouTube channel AR 4789 takes a step in that direction with a rather interesting concept…
The only piece of "solid" information we have about Windows 12 right now is that we're going to see artificial intelligence everywhere. Across the pond, they say Redmond has "bet the farm" on that technology, but I think that bet includes its buildings, cars, planes, the winter house, the summer house, and a couple of flying saucers.
All arrows point to 2024 as the launch year (some suggest 'second half'), and the other technology that would gain relevance in Windows 12 besides artificial intelligence is ARM architecture, but there's a giant question in the background we can't ignore: What will happen with the interface? Personally, I think the answer is 'nothing', and that Windows 12 will be very similar to Windows 11, but this concept published by AR 4789 on YouTube shows us some ideas and possibilities that Redmond could implement without too much effort…
Windows 12 in a parallel universe
The taskbar turned into a dock, and a second bar at the top with the search box and the weather widget are certainly interesting (I imagine Linux users must be laughing), but what makes the most noise is the minimalist start menu, without recommendations, suggestions, or anything like that. There's also a bit of love for the file explorer, a smarter drag and drop, and a much better designed settings menu.
On the other hand, the sound section doesn't convince me (all that should be accessible from the taskbar), and the Quick Settings depend too much on widgets, although a more coherent Bluetooth control would definitely be welcome (I said it before and I repeat it, Bluetooth support in Windows 10 and 11 is shameful). The artificial intelligence factor appears incorporated into wallpaper generation, and the dark mode doesn't look bad at all.
In short, I think it doesn't take much to improve Windows aesthetics, but Microsoft is like the scorpion stinging the frog: It can't help its nature.
