Intel Teases Windows 11 October Debut
Ghost in the driver
Intel has offered another hint that Microsoft plans to release Windows 11 in October.
Windows Latest reported that Intel referred to Windows 11 as the "October 2021 Update (21H2)" in the release notes for DCH GPU driver 30.0.100.9684. That naming convention follows the same pattern as major updates to Windows 10, with the Windows 10 May 2021 Update also being known as the 21H1 release, for example.
Intel also clarified that it wasn't referring to an upcoming version of Windows 10 by identifying the operating system as "Microsoft Windows 11-64." Microsoft could still release a noteworthy update to Windows 10 in the second half of the year, of course, but Intel was specifically targeting Windows 11 with this driver update.
There have been other signs that Microsoft plans to release Windows 11 in October even though it's officially set to launch during the holidays. Various widgets, messages, and user interface elements in the company's promotional materials reference October. That's either an Easter egg or a very late April Fool's prank.
Not that many people will be able to use Windows 11 at launch anyway. Microsoft's system requirements exclude many PCs, and the company said on Twitter that even Windows 10 devices capable of installing the update would have to wait to use it anyway because it's not going to start rolling out to their devices until early 2022.
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Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.
Microsoft allows Windows 11 to be installed on older, unsupported hardware but specifically nixes official support — minimum requirements for full compatibility remain unchanged
Windows 11 for Arm can run natively on specific Android smartphones — the test device heats up very fast, and battery life substantially decreases
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Colif No way, October... you mean like almost every other version since Windows MeReply
Xp - October 25 2001
Vista (as it was a buggy mess and took longer to be ready - Jan 30 2007
Win 7 - October 22 2009
Win 8 - October 26 2012
Win 8.1 October 17 2013
Win 10 - July 29 2015 (wonder why 10 was early)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
I did say most. Almost all of them have been October so after seeing that pattern I guessed a month or so ago. No surprise
Could almost guess its going to be last week of the month too. -
AkroZ
Bill GatesBornColif said:No way, October... you mean like almost every other version since Windows Me
Xp - October 25 2001
Vista (as it was a buggy mess and took longer to be ready - Jan 30 2007
Win 7 - October 22 2009
Win 8 - October 26 2012
Win 8.1 October 17 2013
Win 10 - July 29 2015 (wonder why 10 was early)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
I did say most. Almost all of them have been October so after seeing that pattern I guessed a month or so ago. No surprise
Could almost guess its going to be last week of the month too.
William Henry Gates III
October 28, 1955 (age 65)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.