John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 03.29.2023 04:Mar AM EDT

Windows’ Next Version Might Focus on Security and AI Features

The next version of Windows may be smarter and more secure than its predecessors.

Microsoft is allegedly working on a new "modern" version of Windows that comes with better security and faster update to bring an updated version of Windows that better fits newer PCs.

Microsoft previously worked on similar versions in the past called Windows Core OS and the Windows 10X, but the company scrapped them during the pandemic, per Gadgets360.

Microsoft Windows Better Version

A Microsoft employee who asked not to be named revealed to Windows Central that the company is working on a new project internally that will modernize the Windows platform with many of the innovations and features it learned from developing Windows Core OS.

However, instead of gutting legacy components and features to enhance user experience on those using more up-to-date PCs, the reportedly upcoming version of Windows, called CorePC, will focus on native compatibility for legacy Win32 applications on devices where it makes sense.

The publication explains that CorePC starts with a full Windows desktop and works backward to become a "modular, configurable system" while maintaining native support for legacy apps and workflows where necessary.

Microsoft's team allegedly designed CorePC to be a modular and customizable variant of Windows for the company to use different form factors with, as not all Windows PCs need the entire legacy Win32 support. Additionally, CorePC will also allow Microsoft to configure "editions" of Windows with different levels of feature and app compatibility.

Windows CorePC Highlights

Aside from integrating some Win32 applications instead of ignoring them, CorePC would use "state separation" and split Windows into multiple partitions, similar to iOS and Android OS, making their systems harder to be infected with malware while also providing faster update times, per Engadget.

Windows Central explains that the version of Windows we are familiar with is not a state-separated platform, meaning the entire OS, along with system files, user data, and program files, are installed and stored in a single writable partition. With multiple partitions, CorePC can provide faster update times and a more reliable system reset functionality, an important function for Chromebook compete devices in the education sector.

Lastly, Windows Central's source mentioned that Microsoft is experimenting with a "silicon-optimized" version of CorePC that focuses on AI capability that allows Windows to analyze displayed content and provide contextual prompts to jumpstart projects or apps based on the information currently on display. These new AI-powered features may also identify objects and text within images to allow the user to cut them out and paste them elsewhere; other AI features will require dedicated hardware to function.

These features would reduce legacy overhead and vertically optimize hardware and software experiences in a manner that would rival Apple Silicon, which Apple released in 2021.

Exactly when people can use Microsoft CorePC is still unknown, though Microsoft is allegedly aiming to use this modernized version of Windows for its next major version of its popular OS, which could be Windows 12, in 2024.