We could have caught a glimpse of what the Home windows 12 desktop may appear to be, or no less than been given a tough concept of the way it would possibly finally end up.

Neowin (opens in new tab) noticed that a picture proven at Ignite 2022, which as we reported on the time was thought to signify the successor to Home windows 11 – typically assumed to be Home windows 12 (however we definitely don’t know that for positive) – has simply turned up once more.

That is an enhanced model of the unique leaked picture, and now you may clearly see that it says ‘Subsequent Valley Prototype Design’ on the high, which refers to next-gen Home windows. And as you could recall, it reveals a really different-looking desktop with a floating taskbar (MacOS Dock-style) that has no system tray.

As Brad Sams (VP and Normal Supervisor at Stardock Software program) additional factors out on YouTube (opens in new tab), this appears to point that the leaked pic from Ignite isn’t just some type of imprecise idea Microsoft is toying with, however probably extra of a agency design that reveals the place Home windows is definitely headed down the road.

There’s some proof to again up this assertion as Sams observes, pointing to the latest tweaks in preview variations of Home windows 11 the place Microsoft is within the technique of including the power to show off the system tray clock and date (albeit that is nonetheless hidden in check builds and never but realized).

Evaluation: Home windows 12 – being examined in plain sight?

In brief, that piece of groundwork may very well be seen as step one in the direction of the eventual jettisoning of the system tray from the taskbar, paving the way in which in the direction of that floating taskbar as seen within the leaked Ignite picture (which we now know pertains to the design of next-gen Home windows due to the detective work when it comes to enhancing that pic).

With these adjustments coming to Canary – the earliest testing channel just lately ushered in by Microsoft, rumored to be the idea for Home windows 12 – this begs the query whether or not Microsoft will overtly perform next-gen Home windows improvement within the Canary channel.

That might nicely be attainable, and Microsoft could accomplish that with out really telling us that explicitly, no less than not till a great way down the highway. If the rumor mill is correct, that highway may very well be a reasonably quick one, too, as the speculation is that Home windows 12 – or no matter it finally ends up being referred to as – goes to reach in 2024.

Different main interface adjustments just lately noticed for Home windows 11, which may equally find yourself within the subsequent incarnation of the desktop OS, embrace additional work on the rumored picture gallery for File Explorer, and extra flexibility with widgets which can get the power to be plonked on the desktop.