Microsoft has launched the official website for its Ignite conference in October, and it looks like, for the first time since 2019, the event will be back in person in Seattle. Microsoft will be keeping the global livestreams we've seen in the past, but some people will be able to attend in person if they want to.

Microsoft has yet to open registrations for Ignite, but it will take place from October 12th to the 14th. In the past, attending Microsoft Ignite was fairly expensive, but with the event going all-digital for 2020 and 2021, it was free for anyone to get the full experience. It's not yet clear what pricing structure will be in place for in-person attendance, and what benefits you might get from attending in person versus watching online. Microsoft says the cost will "depend on the in person event experience you choose". More details will be coming when registrations open in August.

Microsoft also warns that space will be limited, so it sounds as though we may not see an event on the same scale as previous Ignite conferences. Again, all the details aren't known yet.

As to what you can expect from the Ignite event in general, it should mostly focus on Microsoft 365, Azure, and other products specifically for business customers. Windows usually takes a bit of a backseat at these events, but there's always a chance we'll see something. Windows 11 version 22H2 is expected to launch sometime in September, and after that, we're expecting Windows 12, but it's highly unlikely we'll hear about that anytime soon.

If you're more interested in Microsoft hardware, we're also expecting a Surface event in the fall, with devices like the Surface Pro 9, a new Surface Pro X with the Microsoft SQ3 chipset, the Surface Laptop 5, and maybe even a Surface Studio 3. That will be completely separate from Ignite, however, as tends to be the case with these events.