Microsoft opens up Windows
With a whole host of new features and access to Android apps, the new Microsoft operating system expands functionality in sleek style
ACCORDING to my department of numbers, there are currently something like 1.3 billion PCs on planet Earth running Windows 10.
So when makers Microsoft announce a new version of its allconquering operating system for computers it’s officially a big deal.
All eyes were on the company’s Redmond campus in Washington state, then, when CEO Satya Nadella took the wraps off Windows 11.
The new version of Windows, which will be officially released later this year, is more than just a cosmetic upgrade – of course, there is a new look, but there’s also a host of new features and changes.
Here are the things about your next Windows OS that you really need to know.
NEW LOOK
Of course, the first thing you notice about Windows 11 is its refreshed look – it’s cleaner and simpler.
Microsoft says it’s even redesigned the sounds you hear as you navigate round the system, with an emphasis not just on user productivity, but also on bringing a sense of ‘“calm and ease”... which sounds nice, but very un-Microsoft…
There’s also a new way to create desktops for different tasks and new ‘snapping’ layout tools to easily organise app windows how you want them.
NEW STORE
One of the biggest changes coming to the system is a new App Store, which is where you find any and all apps you wish to add to the core apps the system comes pre-installed with.
Here is where you’ll find creative apps from other developers like Adobe, entertainment apps like Disney+ and, of course, communication tools like Zoom. The biggest update to the store, however, is that you’ll be able to download Android apps and run them on Windows 11… which opens up the platform to a huge amount of new apps.
Microsoft is doing this in
collaboration with Amazon, and it’s the Amazon app store that you’ll be seeing via
Windows, not Google’s. But still, that means you can download and run apps that until now have been available on your phone only, like TikTok and Instagram.
TEAMS COMES CENTRE STAGE
Once when we video-called we talked about Skype-ing someone… not so much today. Since the start of the pandemic, Zoom has more or less adopted that role.
So Microsoft, which owns Skype, has pushed it into the background in Windows 11. It’s not even installed by default – you have to go and get it from the App Store. Instead Microsoft’s alternative Teams comes to the fore – and is up front and centre in the new Taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
GOOD FOR GAMERS
PCs have always been an attractive platform for gamers, and survived the advent of dedicated superconsoles thanks largely to their upgradability. Gamers are well catered for in Windows 11 – the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which brings with it access to more than 100 great PC games, is built in.
WIDGET TIME
Microsoft has followed in Apple’s footsteps and gone all-in on widgets for Windows 11.
You can build your own set of widgets, which gather info from all sources into one place to present them in a single stream. So you can have widgets showing you the weather, the news, your calendar and to-do list in a single flowing stream of information you can customise to your needs.
OFFICE FOLLOWS SUIT
Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps Office, which includes Word, Powerpoint and Excel, is also getting an upgrade and will take design cues from Windows 11.
It’ll also add some speed… the new version of Office will be available even if you stick with Windows 10 as your OS.
Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for Windows 10 users and will be released in the autumn. It will roll out to Microsoft’s own Surface suite of devices from later this year and into next. Not all PCs will be able to run Windows 11. For more info on the new OS and a compatibility checker, go to microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/ windows-11