Microsoft officially unveils Windows 11
This new version of Windows has already rolled out to Windows Insiders.
Microsoft has officially unveiled Windows 11, a new iteration of its OS that promises a host of visual upgrades, as well as new behaviours to the basic Windows experience. “This is the first version of a new era of Windows,” Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said during its unveiling. “We’re building for the next decade and beyond.”
The new OS has already been made available as a build for Windows Insiders and will be released to the general public by Christmas 2021. An early, partial build of Windows 11 leaked before the official launch (see page 15),
allowed users an early peek at Windows 11 and what Microsoft had planned.
New features include a simplified Taskbar and Start menu, plus some visual upgrades, including rounded corners on icons and a fresh look for familiar interface elements – even in the way light moves across pixels.
One of the biggest additions to Windows 11 is the Widgets drawer, which will contain what Microsoft calls “web widgets”. Those widgets will play a central role in Microsoft’s new monetization strategy for Windows 11, executives say. At its reveal, executives also showed off a brief glimpse of an updated Microsoft Store.
The other big news is Windows 11’s embrace of Android apps, which will be coming to Windows via the Microsoft Store, Microsoft executives said. The new apps will run on Windows using ‘bridge’ technology, which Microsoft did not fully explain in its launch webcast.
Microsoft released a sizzle reel of the new Windows 11 features, which you can see at fave.co/35Omrk2. It specifically pointed out that all of the new features may not be available in the first builds of the operating system. “Windows should feel familiar,” said Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panos Panay, during the Windows 11 announcement live-stream. “It should feel secure.”
Microsoft said Windows has more than one billion users, and the company believes that the PC will play a central role as the world moves forward from the pandemic. Company executives added that they wanted to build a Windows that feels fresh and modern, and brings people closer to what they love, such as games and streaming video.
Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for all eligible Windows 10 PCs, beginning late in 2021 and extending into 2022. To check whether your current Windows 10 PC is eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft recommends that you visit fave.co/2Ut0SmC to download the PC Health Check app.