Windows It turned 40, and as I read this historic date, I can't help but remember how it all began on November 20, 1985, with Windows 1.0, a graphical interface built on top of MS-DOS. Four decades later, Windows is not only alive: it powers more than 1.4 billion devices and remains the name we all automatically associate with a PC.
The most beloved versions Windows 95, XP, 7, and 10 became part of our culture. Those were the systems that shaped us, the ones many of us remember as "the good old days." If you grew up in the '90s or 2000s, it's practically impossible not to feel nostalgic when you hear those names.
But its history hasn't been perfect. Windows has faced antitrust lawsuits, disastrous launches, questionable design decisions, and controversies that still generate debate. Even so, the platform survived it all and ultimately solidified its position as the preferred choice for millions.
Windows 95 marked a turning point… but it also marked the beginning of a stagnation that continues to this day.
Although the party started with Windows 1.0, the real explosion arrived in 1995Windows 95 didn't just change the interface; it defined what we understand today as "using a computer": the Start menu, the taskbar, window controls, desktop organization. What's impressive is that, thirty years later, we're still using the same concepts.
Yes, today everything looks more modern, with more polished animations, effects, and sound, but the core is exactly the same. The desktop is the same. The window structure is the same. Even the logic behind how we navigate hasn't budged an inch since 1995.
Although the party started with Windows 1.0, the real explosion arrived in 1995Windows 95 didn't just change the interface; it defined what we understand today as "using a computer": the Start menu, the taskbar, window controls, desktop organization. What's impressive is that, thirty years later, we're still using the same concepts.
Yes, today everything looks more modern, with more polished animations, effects, and sound, but the core is exactly the same. The desktop is the same. The window structure is the same. Even the logic behind how we navigate hasn't budged an inch since 1995.
The only time Microsoft dared to break that formula was with Windows 8… and the blow was so great that the company still hasn't fully recovered. The “Metro” style interface, the tiles, the full-screen Start menu… absolutely everything was rejected. And just a couple of years later, Microsoft abandoned the experiment.
Since then, Windows has existed with a certain amount of trepidation. Not in how it works, but in how it evolves. The platform stopped taking risks.
Windows 10 It attempted to launch a more unified vision—the famous OneCore idea for phones, PCs, and Xbox—but that too failed. And so, step by step, Windows ended up in this state where it seems to react rather than innovate.
The numbers confirm it: overall Windows usage has declined over the past decade. More and more schools are using ChromeOS or iPads, meaning more generations are growing up without Windows as a reference point. Even many adults who used Windows as children have decided to switch to Mac, especially since the rise of Apple Silicon.
And the worst part: Windows started to gain a reputation as "the inferior option" compared to the Mac, a perception that is hurting it.
Microsoft has had some successes, such as the Surface Pro line, which inspired Apple to change the direction of the iPad Pro. But at the software level, Windows hasn't managed to break out of its shell. While the world explores new forms of computing—smartwatches, glasses, hybrid devices—Windows clings to the traditional PC. If that format were to disappear, Windows would be in serious trouble.
There was a moment in 2019 when I thought Microsoft was reborn: Windows 10X and the Surface Neo. It was a new, modern platform with a fresh design and a completely different approach. But the dream ended almost immediately. The project was canceled, and Microsoft retreated back into the past. That day, I felt like something in Windows had been switched off forever.
Windows 11 didn't change anything fundamentally either. It's basically Windows 10 with a fancy makeover: a new Start menu, new icons, a few productivity tricks… but at its core, it's the same old system. Nothing that truly breaks the mold.
We now face a landscape where wearable devices are growing, interfaces are changing, and paradigms are transforming, but Windows It remains stuck in its classic form. It's a huge risk.
The latest blow: a Windows obsessed with AI… and a community that's starting to get fed up
We're entering a stage where artificial intelligence is redefining everything. New devices based entirely on AI already feel inevitable. Small, portable, always on, capable of processing models in real time. And the most worrying thing is that Windows doesn't seem prepared for that future.
Windows 11, despite being an excellent system for PCIt has been criticized for focusing too much on AI and neglecting basic problems: bloatware, bugs, slowness, and unnecessary features. Many users have already labeled it "the bad version," inheriting the title previously held by Windows ME, Vista, and Windows 8.
The worst moment came when Microsoft announced that Windows 11 would be an “agent operating system,” deeply integrated with AI. The reaction was immediate: rejection, ridicule, privacy concerns, and general weariness. But Microsoft continues to push this vision.
Meanwhile, the competition intensifies. SteamOS is making strides in gaming. ChromeOS and Android are dominating education. Apple Silicon continues to challenge everything. The pressure has never been greater.
The feeling is clear: Microsoft is trying force AI in in a system that's already overloaded. It's not building something new; it's patching something old. And that approach could cost Windows dearly if it doesn't react in time.
Many of us believe that this was the perfect moment for a Windows 12 Radical, modern, designed from the ground up for AI. A version that would coexist with the traditional one, but that at the same time looked to the future. It was the opportunity to break the 1995 mold. To invent something new. To modernize the system, clean it up, make it lighter, faster, more adaptable.
Because if it doesn't, Windows runs the real risk of being stuck in the past while the world changes before its eyes.
Microsoft can still save it: by rebuilding the system, removing decades of outdated code, improving performance, fixing Windows Update, and leaving behind everything that's holding it back. If AI is truly as powerful as they say, it could be the heart of a modern system that finally leaves its legacy behind.
But that requires courage, innovation… and breaking with 30-year-old habits.
Original article by NEVER Tips November 24, 2025
