There will be no Windows 11, or any other number for that matter, according to Microsoft. While no one can predict the future of technology, as much as no one back in ’78 could have imagined, entirely, the mobile revolution, Microsoft can’t predict the future of its operating systems. Still, the company is resolute that 10 will be the last version of Windows, as we know it.

“Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10,” said developer evangelist Jerry Nixon, speaking at the MicrosoftIgnite conference in Chicago, IL, this week, reiterating what Terry Myerson had said back in January. Think of Windows as a service, said Myerson, “one of the largest Internet services on the planet”, adding, “once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no cost.”

Microsoft will do this by constantly updating the OS, incrementally allowing it to evolve, rather than coming out with a brand-spanking new version of Windows every few years. The key to this development is the fact that the OS is divided into different components, Nixon explained, and so the Start menu and built-in apps can be updated independently. Patch Tuesday will become history, and users of Windows 10 will be able to opt for bundled updates, or receive updates upon release. This means that apps, including Office, will be evolving month by month, and at the same time bug fixes will also be released.

Speaking to The Verge about the latest announcement by Nixon a Microsoft spokesperson said, “We aren’t speaking to future branding at this time, but customers can be confident Windows 10 will remain up-to-date and power a variety of devices from PCs to phones to Surface Hub to HoloLens and Xbox. We look forward to a long future of Windows innovations.”

How will Microsoft make money from this? Read what Paul Gillin has to say about that. Windows 10 for PCs is expected to arrive this summer, while we will have to wait until later in the year for Windows 10 for phones, tablets, HoloLens, and Xbox One.

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