Microsoft today sent invitations for a June 24 event that promises to show off "what's next for Windows." It begins at 11 a.m. ET and will be livestreamed on Microsoft’s Events page.
It comes after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella last week took to the Build 2021 stage and alluded to a major new version of Windows coming down the pike. His comments were encouraging to many Windows watchers, as the Build event was centered around Azure and other cloud developer topics.
Nadella said he's "been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows.” He noted that the new version would open up new significant opportunities for developers, which may be related to new app store policies or even—as some have speculated—adding the ability to run Android apps inside Windows.
Some Windows observers have suggested the changes may be significant enough to warrant a renaming to Windows 11, though Microsoft said in 2015 that Windows 10 would be the "last version of Windows," with updates continually rolling out in a software-as-a-service system.
With the demise of Windows 10X (or rolling that Chrome OS wannabe competitor into the main branch of Windows, as Redmond spins it), the June 24 event sparks new optimism for the desktop OS. I had dismissed Nadella’s remarks as referring simply to the interface updates known as Sun Valley, a makeover that will bring floating panels, new icons, and rounded windows to the OS, but this event augurs more profound changes.
Stay tuned to PCMag for coverage of the new Windows announcements. For an in-depth look at all the features in the current version, read our Windows 10 review.