Microsoft is internally developing its latest CorePC, which is a project name for the upcoming version of Windows. This is nothing new, as when the company was upgrading to Windows 10X, it named the project Core OS. The same goes with the CorePC, which is an internal codename for the Windows 12 update. It is used to build a modern version of Windows that supports legacy apps and has new configurations to upgrade the OS.
Modern Version of Windows will come with Better Security & Faster Update
We all know that Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into making Windows modern, which the company has attempted by building UWP with the Windows CoreOS. This was designed to support legacy features and better compatibility, alongside lighter, faster updates and more security. However, it failed to roll out for traditional PC form factors and Microsoft cancelled the project in 2021. It even makes it easier for OEMs to build PCs that will be better than Chromebooks.
After two years, the company is now internally testing its new Windows Core OS, which is aimed to primarily focus on other things, alongside shipping to traditional PCs. It will be modular and there will be more customizable variants of Windows to suit the best form factors. Not all Windows editions need to support legacy WIn32 apps support, and with the CorePC there will be plenty of configuration editions with different levels of features and app compatibility.
This will allow developers to push updates faster and will be more secure through read-only partitions, which are similar to iPadOS or Android, where those will be inaccessible to third-party apps. At this time, Program Files, System Files, and user data will locally be stored at the same location. This means the complete files are installed into a single writable partition, which means it is not a state-separated platform.
Because of this OS update, the system will be faster, more reliable, and have stronger competition against Chromebook devices. Microsoft has stated that separation for Windows is in Microsoft 365 Developer Day, talking about rebuilding the software from scratch to make it more modern while ensuring configurable OS on top of legacy apps compatibility. Microsoft will first build the full Windows desktop, which should work backwards by making it a modular, configurable system while maintaining native support for the legacy apps and workflows with the Windows CorePC.
Project CorePC will brings AI, Faster Updates and Better Security to Windows 12
Microsoft needs to meet the performance of ChromeOS (ChromeBooks) and its capabilities to maintain its dominance. This means it should be able to deliver the Edge, Web Apps, Android Apps (via Project Latte), and Office apps to low-end education PCs. Project Latte has been in development for years and has already been tested, and Windows 11 SE is expected to be 60% to 75% faster than Windows 10. This version of Windows has all the features and capabilities of current Windows while improving security and offering faster updates. For this, Microsoft is using a codename Neon for legacy apps which require a shared state OS to function.
Talking about performance, to make things faster, Microsoft has been optimizing the CorePC, called Silicon-optimized (Intel, AMD, and Arm), so that it helps reduce overhead and brings AI capabilities and vertical hardware optimization, and great user experience to compete with Apple Silicon. Microsoft will aggressively push its boundaries with the AI capabilities of its apps and services, even with the upcoming version of Windows. Upcoming updates and versions of Windows will have robust AI features that will help improve productivity.
It will help analyze content on display and help users kick off projects based on the information. As we mentioned, upcoming versions of Windows will have robust AI features. For example, Identifying objects and extracting text from the screen are features that are already in an experiment and are part of Windows PowerToys. They could debut with the future version of Windows.
There should be some functionality that might require dedicated hardware to perform certain actions. As of now, there is no certainty as to when Microsoft will release Windows 12. According to reports, Windows 12 is scheduled to release by the 2024 “Hudson Valley” timeframe.
