From the advent of computers up to the cutting edge technology of today, Windows has always been an iconic operating system used by more than 1.5 billion people around the world. With its accessibility—you go into a store to purchase Windows and install it on your computer—many users have come to love Windows over the years and it has proven its worth when it comes to reliability, efficiency and even cost. But in 2015, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will be the last release of the operating system marking a new era for Windows by adapting the approach of Apple by making Windows 10 as its standard for the future.
Microsoft’s developer evangelist Jerry Nixon said at the Ignite tech conference: “Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10.” Although some Windows users were a bit disappointed, Microsoft was able to deliver consistency with its regular software updates to make sure that Windows 10 stays on top of its game.
| Windows 8 | Windows 10 |
| August 1, 2012 | July 15, 2015 |
At the end of 2018, however, rumors started going around the tech community that Microsoft will be releasing Windows 11. The news grew even stronger with a screenshot image of what is reportedly a list of features for Windows 11 Home started circling in forums. So, our team decided to investigate and here’s what we know so far:
The Windows 10 October 2018 update hasn’t lived up to expectations
The April 2018 update rolled out pretty quickly and was well received by users around the world. So, it was natural for users to expect something bigger and better for 2018’s final update. Unfortunately, the latest update released on October has caused problems for a lot of users, which prompted Microsoft to pull it out and later made available again after some fixes. Still, issues continue to pop up and the update is now installed in only 3% of total Windows 10 users. Does this mean that Microsoft made the wrong decision in 2015 and is now re-thinking the idea of releasing Windows 11?
Microsoft is shifting to Windows as a Service
After releasing Windows 10, Microsoft introduced the Windows as a service approach where instead of releasing new versions of Windows every three to five years, it will release feature and quality updates twice a year. This approach has first used by Apple with OS X and has worked for its users, which is why it’s no surprise that Microsoft has taken the same concept because it is more convenient and cost-efficient for Windows users. Since Microsoft embraced Windows as a service, the company hasn’t talked about releasing a completely new version of Windows 10.
Our verdict
Gadget Advisor’s fact check team finds that Microsoft will not be releasing Windows 11, at least in the near future. Contrary to rumors circling around, Microsoft is happy with its Windows as a Service format and will continue to offer updates to Windows 10 to make it more efficient for users. Meanwhile, Microsoft is busy on other things including Virtual Reality, which the company hopes to make accessible to the public in the near future.
