Microsoft Is Working On Windows CorePC

According to a media report, Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows that is intended to fundamentally modernize the platform. Unlike Windows 10X, for example, you don’t want to do without 32-bit support, even if various far-reaching changes are planned in favor of better scalability.

As reported by Windows Central, citing sources close to Microsoft, the group has been working on a new project for some time, in which they want to adapt the same innovations that were already planned for the failed Windows Core OS. The new project, codenamed “CorePC”, should be ready by the time Windows “12” is introduced in 2024 and be used much more flexibly than before.

More Modular Windows

According to the report, with Windows “CorePC” Microsoft wants to create a modular, adaptable variant of Windows that can be used on various different platforms. If necessary, support for 32-bit applications should also be offered. “CorePC” is intended to enable a wide variety of “editions” of Windows, which differ in terms of different features and compatibility levels.

CorePC should be able to be “state separate”, with the core of the operating system running in a more secure form, as with iPadOS or Android. For example, “Read Only” partitions should be used to which the user has no access. Ultimately, this also results in faster updates since only certain parts of the operating system can be updated with incremental updates. 

All data such as system files, user data, and program files are currently stored in the same partition under Windows. By dividing the operating system into different partitions, it would be possible, among other things, to reset devices more easily and quickly, which could be very useful for Chromebook-like products, for example.

Any optimization for hardware platforms?

The Redmond company’s approach is said to be “vice versa” compared to Windows Core OS and the Windows 10X based on it. So you’re starting with a full desktop Windows and trying to break the operating system down into modular, configurable pieces while preserving app compatibility and legacy workflows when needed, they say.

A compatibility level with the code name “Neon” should also ensure that older applications that do not support “state separation” continue to work on Windows CorePC. Among other things, it is intended that Windows can offer the full range of functions on this basis if desired, while a significant slimming down of the operating system for certain hardware devices should also be possible if required.

At the same time, Microsoft allegedly also wants to be able to offer variants of Windows based on CorePC, which should be tailored to the hardware used, such as certain CPUs. Basically, optimization should take place, as known by Apple and its combination of macOS and iOS as well as the Apple A and M SoCs.