Last week, during Microsoft’s Build 2021 conference, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft would share more “soon” about the next Windows. He said it would be “the most significant updates of Windows of the past decade.” He said he has been self-hosting it over the past several months and called it “the next generation of Windows.” This Windows variant is expected to include the “Sun Valley” user-interface refresh, as well as some underlying improvements, such as better touch capabilities and a new app Store, based on various leaks. Microsoft officials have not said what this new Windows will be branded, but some are expecting it to be called “Windows 11.” Others think it could just be called “Windows” with no qualifiers. I’m expecting that this “new” Windows will not be the Windows 10 21H2 update. I think it will be more targeted at consumers and not be classified as a normal feature update. I believe Microsoft will continue to release regular Windows 10 feature updates alongside this other Windows variant for some months/years in the future, though no one from Microsoft has yet said this publicly. Microsoft officials have been signaling that they want to give Windows a bigger play in 2021. By introducing a “new” Windows variant, they also will try to help their OEM partners in their quest to get users to buy brand new PCs.
