Windows 12 (not) free and updates

Megan van der Wagt

Older Windows users may remember the days when you had to pay for Windows upgrades. It wasn’t until the introduction of Windows 10 in 2015 that users were given the opportunity to update their computer operating system for free. This trend continued with Windows 11, which also charged no fees. Users feared that Windows 12 would change this free approach.

Subscription service for Windows 12?
Rumors swirled that Windows 12 would integrate a subscription service, where users would have to pay monthly to access special AI features. These speculations turned out to be unfounded. While there is indeed a subscription model for the business version of Windows 11, called IoT Enterprise Subscription, the consumer versions of Windows 12 will not be linked to such a payment system. Windows users can breathe a sigh of relief, because the rumor that Windows 12 would become a paid operating system appears to be greatly exaggerated.

Windows 12 expectations
While Microsoft hasn’t officially released any details about Windows 12, there are internal codenames and speculation that give us a glimpse of the future. Windows 12, also known as vNext and Windows 24H2, is expected to launch in the second half of 2024. The new operating system will mainly focus on artificial intelligence (AI), which will be fully integrated into the system. To support even less powerful devices, cloud technology will be used extensively. Microsoft is also working on new, energy-efficient ARM chips that should give Windows 12 devices a performance boost.
Although the official announcement and certainly the launch date are still missing, third-party videos about the so-called Windows 12 and even Windows 12.1 are already appearing on YouTube. Some new features mentioned therein have already been or will be incorporated in the updates 22H2 and 23H2. Moreover, it is questionable whether these videos are entirely based on truth.