Yes, that quote was from Jerry Nixon at the 2015 Ignite conference.

And the interpretation was in the air. That is why many news outlets and web magazines asked Microsoft for clarification- Is Windows 10 the last version of windows they will make? In a statement to Network World, A Microsoft spokesperson said this:

>"Recent comments at Ignite about Windows 10 are reflective of the way Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers. 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."

They don't seem to really be clearing it up here. Like he writes in the article, they cleared up nothing- you'd think if Nixon meant the most recent version, they'd just- clarify that. The author theorizes it probably won't be the last version, though not with any of the clarification that Microsoft provided.

Over the successive few years, people continued to raise this question; they received the same sort of answer from Microsoft. There would be no "new" release of Windows, it would be more of a service going forward. Fact is " The last version ever was never the official narrative." is absolutely gaslighting at this point. The entire reason so many people asked about it on Microsoft answers and various other official and semi-official locations was because the idea that Windows 10 was the last version of Windows was *so fucking idiotic and beggared belief, and at no step of the way did Microsoft EVER clarify and say there would be future windows versions, Instead they doubled down on every single official statement, saying Windows 10 would be the "last full release" of Windows, and that it would be a service, and so on.

Here's a bunch of links for review.

When Win11 rumours started to float around, there were more questions. So people asked, "Will there be a Windows 11?". For example, here, on June 15th, 2021.

They provide an screenshot of the leaked build. The responses, which, in this case aren't from Microsoft, so aren't "official" but are nonetheless answers on the official forum by long-time members of said forum:

"Currently, Windows 11 is an Internet myth, and Microsoft say there will be no Windows 11, that screenshot you have provided is a scam."

Another person asked here sometime earlier in 2020. They got this:

"Windows 11 is just an internet hoax. "

"Microsoft has stated that there will be no Windows 11."

Another one was asked here in 2019.

"The schedule that has been previously stated is twice yearly major updates to Windows 10 and that Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows."

"It's worth noting that it has been announced that there is a User Interface overhaul planned to be released in 2021. This is NOT a new Operating System, but will change the look of Windows 10, so may confuse some people into thinking that there is a new OS coming. Whereas if anything, this indicates that Windows 10 is here to stay for the foreseable. "

"The closest thing to a new version of Windows would be an update that drops 10, and so it is just called windows"

Some others kept asking occasionally.

And received the same sort of response. "Windows 11 is an internet hoax."

"There is currently no Windows 11 or 12 in the development plans" -Donata.C, Independent Advisor, January 20th, 2021.

Will there be a Windows 11?

marked as answer: "Microsoft said Windows 10 is the last and they will update it a couple times a year".

Also replied with:

"Sorry to say but there will be no Windows 11. Windows 11 is currently an internet myth. Not all information what you see in the internet is true and those were fake news. Microsoft is focus in improving and updating Windows 10 in a continuous basis releasing two feature updates per year. The first feature update for this year is the May 2020 Windows version 2004."

At some point, a particular MVP got so annoyed at people asking, he created a thread and pinned it specifically to address the question. There is no Windows 11, in October 2020, saying "However, starting Windows 10 everything has been changed. There is no longer anything call Service Pack and there is no plan to release any successor to Windows 10 like what is going around with name Windows 11."

Pretty much everybody on Microsoft's official forums laughed at the idea of win11. Hell, even when there WAS A FUCKING LEAKED BUILD they said it was "a scam"!

But then, after Win11 was announced They ALL changed their tune. everything posted after that- calling out that Microsoft had said it was the last version, that all the official community moderators and staff and general userbase that had constantly said that Windows 10 was officially going to be the last version, acted like that didn't happen. They went from "Microsoft has said Windows 10 will be the last version" and were now suddenly saying "actually, they never officially said that Windows 10 was the last version".

Nowadays when people point it out, there's always somebody popping in going "acshually there's no official source from Microsoft saying it was the last version"; Nixon said it was the last version of Windows, and a spokesperson clarified that what he said reflected how Windows would be developed going forward. Like, yeah, they clarified specifically it would be the last version, but they never really clarified a damn thing because it was just worthless marketing copy. Nonetheless, For 6 long years everybody asking if it was the last version, or asking if there was going to be a Windows 11, were practically laughed out of Microsoft official support forums. So miss me with that "acshually it was never official" bullshit, because that's at best a technicality and at worse a case of Microsoft literally not clarifying anything ever, and leaving their army of sycophants to deal with the questions so that later people can claim "well acshually that's not an official source" Because Microsoft refused to actually speak plainly on the issue, insisting on all copy being some say-nothing marketing tripe.