A visualization of what Windows 12 - or whatever Microsoft decides to call its upcoming OS - might look like has arrived, and it is expectedly heavy on AI integration.

The Windows rumor mill about the next iteration of Microsoft's operating system has been turning and with hardware vendors desperate for customers to buy exotic AI PCs, Microsoft has become more determined to push its AI assistants to consumers.

The creator of one attention-grabbing visualization - unsanctioned by Microsoft - is the same individual who gave us the recent "What If?" Windows XP kept going experiment.

Microsoft itself has yet to confirm that Windows 12 is even happening, let alone preview its content, so readers should add a substantial pinch of salt when you watch this.

Once one gets over the grating music, the conceptual art is intriguing, and, in this writer's opinion, presents a logical evolution from Windows 11. It also includes a few interface elements that are already known about.

The Start menu, for example, is minimalist but carries themes from earlier Windows incarnations. The creator has shifted the taskbar to the top of the screen, leaving some quick access buttons at the base. Standard dialogs such as File Explorer and Settings have been tidied, and the Quick Settings page has been enhanced.

There's even a suggestion for a new Windows logo inspired by Microsoft's newfound love of all things with rounded corners - if the Windows 11 design language is anything to go by.

However, it's the typing of some text to get a wallpaper generated that shows how generative AI might potentially arrive into the operating system. Such functionality would seem a quick win and certainly easier than making Windows Search work properly.

The creator, however, takes a bit of a turn with the application of Dark Mode. While it all works swimmingly in the concept, anyone who has had to endure Microsoft's attempts to make the functionality work in the company's flagship OS will know it will take more than some whizzy generative AI to bring forth the darkness.

Microsoft has yet to confirm either the existence or name of Windows 12. However, imagining what might be around the corner is a fun thought experiment. Even if our dreams of a big red button marked "turn off data slurpage" are unlikely to be realized. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/01/16/windows_12_speculation/