Abstract:
Microsoft announced that it will hold a large-scale Windows and Surface event in San Francisco, USA on October 7. This will be the first time Microsoft has held a Windows-themed event of this scale since May 2024. Microsoft will focus on discussing how local artificial intelligence will shape the next stage of PC development, but there is currently no indication that Windows 12 will be unveiled at this event.
Microsoft has confirmed that CEO Satya Nadella, Windows and Surface chief Pawan Davuluri and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will all attend the event. The theme given by Microsoft is "How local AI will shape the next chapter of PCs", which means that locally running artificial intelligence models and AI agents will become an important part of the event.
It is currently expected that Microsoft may announce more information about Surface Laptop Ultra. This device made its debut in May this year. It adopts a new body design and is equipped with a large number of interfaces and a stronger cooling system. It is regarded as an important product for Microsoft for the high-performance Windows notebook market. The event is also expected to announce the specific price and launch time of Surface Laptop Ultra.
The attendance of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also attracted special attention. Surface Laptop Ultra will use the NVIDIA RTX Spark platform, so this event is likely to further introduce the RTX Spark chip and the new generation PC ecosystem built around this platform. Microsoft has been promoting the development of AI PCs in recent years, and combining local AI computing capabilities with high-performance GPUs is an important part of its next phase of PC strategy.
In recent years, Microsoft has continuously emphasized that AI agents will be able to perform more and more tasks directly on the PC, instead of just serving as a chat tool. Compared with relying entirely on cloud servers to run AI models, local AI can reduce data transmission and reduce latency in some tasks. It can also perform some AI functions without continuous networking. Therefore, local AI has become a direction jointly promoted by Microsoft, NVIDIA and other PC manufacturers.
This event has been more than two years since Microsoft's last major Windows conference. Microsoft's last major Windows event was in May 2024, when the company highlighted Copilot+ PCs based on Arm architecture and announced further strengthening of cooperation with Qualcomm. The previous large-scale Windows event was in June 2021, when Microsoft officially announced Windows 11.
Although this event is Windows-themed, Windows 12 is not the focus currently worth looking forward to. Microsoft has not yet announced a release plan for Windows 12, and existing information shows that the company is still focusing its main focus on improvements to Windows 11.
In fact, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 26H2 will be launched this fall, but this version is not a large feature update in the traditional sense. For devices that are already using Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, 26H2 mainly completes version switching by enabling packages, so the installation process is very fast and will not bring obvious changes to the system interface. In recent years, Microsoft has been gradually pushing more new features directly through monthly cumulative updates, instead of concentrating them all into one large version upgrade every year.
Microsoft is making improving the quality of Windows an important task at this stage, including adjusting the system experience based on user feedback, and continuing to address issues such as the taskbar, AI functions, and overall system stability. So even if the October 7 event involves Windows itself, the focus will more likely be on the future direction of Windows 11 rather than announcing a brand new Windows 12.
Various rumors about Windows 12 still exist, but Microsoft has not officially confirmed this operating system. Related news about so-called modular Windows, AI-native Windows, and CorePC have appeared online before, but there is no direct connection between these projects and Windows 12 that has been officially confirmed by Microsoft. Microsoft still uses Windows 11 as the core platform of desktop Windows.
Therefore, the October 7 event is more likely to be an important opportunity for Microsoft to re-demonstrate the development path of Windows, rather than a new Windows version launch. Microsoft hopes to use local AI, RTX Spark and the new generation of Surface hardware to further promote the transformation of PCs from traditional computing devices to smart terminals that can directly run AI models and AI agents.
If this event is carried out according to the currently announced information, then Windows 11’s future software experience, local AI capabilities, and new generation Surface and RTX Spark hardware will become the core highlights, and users who are looking forward to the official launch of Windows 12 may need to continue to wait.
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Microsoft is scheduled to hold a special press conference on October 7 for new Surface products and the Windows AI ecosystem may receive important updates
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