Rumor | Windows 12 is destined for a 2024 launch as Microsoft reverts to a more traditional release cycle

The newest possible version of Windows 11 is known as 22H2 (or Sun Valley 2), with a successor (appropriately dubbed Sun Valley 3) thought to follow in 2023. In keeping with the Redmond giant's new publicly-stated goal of 1 Feature Update per year, it has been projected to emerge as a full upgrade to version 12. However, a new leak on the matter purports to shoot this idea dead in the water.

According to WindowsCentral's sources, Microsoft has fallen short of its aim to increase the frequency of updates to 1 per year already, and has thus shifted its aspirations back down to a 3-year cycle instead. Accordingly, as Windows 11 launched in 2021, this pushes the debut of its major upgrade back to 2024.

Nevertheless, Microsoft will still be capable of pushing new, potentially more Windows 12-esque, features out on a more regular basis. This, apparently, will be done via a new alternative route called Moments, already credited with pushing the new weather button on the Taskbar found in the newest Windows 11 updates.

Accordingly, any novel additions to the OS could become more like feature drops rather than updates in the immediate future, at least until Windows 12 eventually arrives in the next 2 years or more.

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