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In early March, PCWorld and its German counterpart PC-Welt published articles speculating on a possible release window and feature set for the hypothetical Windows 12 operating system. The articles claimed that industry leaks were suggesting a 2026 release date and that the operating system would deeply integrate AI in its architecture. Furthermore, the articles claimed it was “likely” that Windows 12 would lock premium AI features behind subscription models.
People were quick to believe the false report because it sounds entirely like something modern Microsoft would do. After all, this is the company that uses its invasive Copilot AI for data gathering. Concerned Windows users understandably voiced their disapproval at the now-circulating rumors of an imminent subscription-based and AI-focused OS.
The good news is that the content of those articles was immediately debunked by the head of PCWorld’s Executive Editor, Brad Chacos. He explained that the original German article did not include any source links or attributions to lend authoritative weight to its claims. Despite this, the article was machine-translated into English and published on PCWorld before the content could be thoroughly reviewed. Chacos assures readers that PCWorld will “apply much more scrutiny to translated articles going forward.”
What the false report got wrong about Windows 12