windowscentral[.]com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-moves-to-new-windows-development-cycle-with-major-release-every-three-years-feature-drops-in-between
Windows Central broke this story, with leaked details on Microsoft's plans for Windows, which may or may not come to pass -- Microsoft could again change their mind or the leakers could simply be wrong. That said, Windows Central does have a decent track record with this sort of thing.
Microsoft's stated plans of Win10 being the final Windows version with 2 annual updates were scrapped last year with Win11, while Win10 moved to just one version update per year. If the article is accurate, it now looks like those version updates themselves are becoming a thing of the past, with feature updates being released 3 or 4 times a year, probably using Microsoft's new model, where those features are bundled into a cumulative update, but actually turned on/off for individual devices as Microsoft chooses. That lets them do A/B testing, and turn stuff on/off based on results with similar hardware &/or configurations.
I haven't seen/read much for quite awhile about Win10 22H2, nor had updates to my Win10 Insider copy running in a VM, so I'm wondering if it's actually going to happen this fall. Insider copies of Win11 OTOH received what's supposed to be the shipping version of 22H2 over a month ago. Win11's 2023 version has allegedly been scrapped, with Win12, or whatever they name it, in the planning stages currently for a 2024 release. PC & laptop sales were projected to decline as more people started returning to the office, but the numbers are lower than expected and a bigger drop is now forecast. That has to figure into Microsoft's plans, though it's anybody's guess how -- if they're returning to the past with a new Windows every 3 or 4 years, maybe they'll return to past pricing models too, or maybe they'll try again at subscription-based pricing?
Again, assuming the leaks are in fact accurate, and Microsoft sticks to this plan, one sure thing is that Win11 just dropped in stature... it's main, arguably only appeal was that in a few years you'd have no choice but to move on from Win10. Windows has been losing features starting with Win8, & Win11 continues that trend, but unlike Win10, Win11 offers no real increase in performance, at least so far -- it's now in a dead heat with Win10, after being slower when 1st released. An expected new version of Windows puts Win11 is in the same boat as the ill-fated Win8.