WolkyTech

The end date of support for Windows10 was revealed ahead of the launch of Windows11

Computers

In 2015, Microsoft's Jerry Nixon declared that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of Windows. Recently, there is growing evidence that Microsoft has changed its mind: not only are there plenty of hints that Windows 11 may be announced at Microsoft's June 24 event, but the company has just posted the end of support date for Windows 10.

Microsoft's Windows 10 Home and Pro Lifecycle Policy page has been updated to state that it will "continue to support at least one Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel through October 14, 2025." The page includes the phrase "retirement date" and explains that this includes Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations.

Microsoft had stated that Windows 10 would be the last version, but as XDA Developers points out, recent developments suggest that this is no longer the company's strategy.

The clearest of these was the "Sun Valley" slip. At one point, the HTML meta-description for the Windows Application Management website read "Learn about Windows 10 and Windows Sun Valley application management," clearly referring to two different products.

If you want a teaser-style clue, the following tweet from Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, is also worth noting. Observers have noted that the light in the Windows logo creates the "11" logo as an animation, leading some to believe that "Sun Valley" is the codename for Windows 11.

The date Panay highlights in his tweet is the Windows event scheduled for June 24. While the placeholder page only promises that we will see "what's next for Windows," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gave some hints at the recent Build developer conference.

"Soon, we will share one of the most significant Windows updates of the past decade to unleash greater economic opportunities for developers and creators," he said.

"I've been self-hosting it for the past few months and am incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows."

The term "update" suggests a new set of Windows 10 enhancements, but "the next generation of Windows" sounds like a bigger leap.

If Windows 10 is indeed retiring in 2025, then Windows 11 may be coming sooner than expected; everything should be revealed on June 24, and the next generation of Windows 10 will be released on June 25.