Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 11 hits the market on Tuesday. The first major operating system release for the tech titan in six years, Windows 11, which is available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, promises a variety of new features, along with an improved design, that make your PC feel more modern.
The company seemingly did that by taking inspiration from the likes of smartphones, Apple’s macOS, and Google’s Chromebook devices. There’s a new Home button and taskbar, improved multitasking capabilities, and, eventually, the operating system will have the ability to run Android apps.
Windows 10 was already a solid operating system, and worlds better than the disaster that was Windows 8. And from the brief time I’ve been using Windows 11, it feels like Microsoft has created an impressive, more touch-friendly version of Windows that doesn’t force you to relearn the experience from the ground up.
New Start button and taskbar
The first major change you’ll notice when starting up Windows 11 is that the famous Start button and taskbar are completely new, and well, look sort of like what you’d expect from Apple’s (AAPL) macOS. Everything is now center adjusted, with the Start button on the far left of the bar. Yes, you can change it back to be on the far left if that's your thing.
Tap the button and you’ll be met with an entirely different Start experience than the Windows 10 button. Rather than the rotating, resizable app tiles of the prior operating system, apps are simply laid out in two sections: pinned at the top and recommended at the bottom. You can, of course, see all of your apps by clicking the All apps button.
The look is far less cluttered than Windows 10’s Start menu, and gives the operating system a more streamlined feel. The task bar also puts all of your open apps in the bottom center of the screen, making them much easier to access with either your mouse or using touch.
Microsoft Teams is front and center
Microsoft has been pushing its Teams app as the best way to communicate and collaborate with colleagues inside and outside of the office. With Windows 11, however, the company is bringing Teams, or at least one of its features, to everyday users. Located in the middle of the taskbar is a new app called Chat.
Essentially a slimmed down version of Teams that lets you send messages to other Teams users or to your friends via SMS text messages, Chat can sync your Outlook contacts, or you can type in your contact’s phone number to send texts.
There are some quirks, though. For instance, I received a link from my wife in a text, but couldn’t click on it directly from the Chat window, and needed to copy it and paste it into a browser.
Microsoft clearly wants Teams to be the go-to communication app for both businesses and consumers, hence the prime real estate it’s given the software. Still, it will be interesting to see if people actually take the bait, considering there are so many other chat apps already available.
Multitasking gets an upgrade
Multitasking is Windows’ bread and butter, and it gets a sizable upgrade in Windows 11 with Snap Groups and virtual desktops. Snap Groups are a way to organize your apps that you’re using on screen into individual, well, groups.
Snapping apps onto either side of the screen has been a feature of Windows 10 for some time. You simply drag the app you want to use to either side of the screen, and it will snap there. You can then choose the app you want on the other side by dragging it, or even separate your screen into four quadrants by dragging apps into the corners of the display.
A new Snap Layout feature, however, allows you to right click on the maximize button in your apps, and choose where you want your app to be snapped without having to drag it. Not every app is optimized for the feature, though. Gmail’s search bar, for instance, is impossible to click when my browser is snapped into place, meaning I have to open the app up to full-screen mode to do a quick search.
Widgets
Widgets make a welcome return to Windows with a refresh that allows you to swipe in from the left side of the screen to see the latest news from a personalized list of sources. Above that you can add widgets for the weather, traffic in your area, outlook, photos, esports, and more. You can adjust the size of the widgets and customize their content to a small extent.
If you’re not using a touchscreen device, you can also click the widgets icon at the bottom of the screen to bring up the widgets panel.
Android apps
One of the bigger changes coming to Windows 11 is the availability of Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) Android apps. Microsoft announced the addition of the ability to run Android apps when it first debuted the operating system, saying that any Android app you can think of will be available on Windows 11 devices through the Microsoft Store.
Unfortunately, the feature isn’t available out of the box, but the company says it should be coming at some point in the near future. Apps like Instagram and TikTok are already available for the operating system, but those aren’t the Android versions. Instead, they’re versions of the apps that are specific to Windows.
Gaming a centerpiece
Windows is the go-to operation system for gaming outside of dedicated consoles. Apple’s macOS and Google’s Chrome OS simply can’t touch the massive library of games available on Windows. So naturally, Microsoft has made gaming a major part of Windows 11. Not only does the Xbox app come preinstalled, but you also get one month of free access to the company’s Game Pass service, as well.
As part of Windows 11, Microsoft is enabling DirectStorage, which allows your computer’s graphics card to basically speak directly with your specific types of solid-state drives (SSDs). You’ll need an NVMe SSD to use the feature, but it should allow massive game worlds to load far faster than before, allowing for a better overall gaming experience.
Microsoft has also said that Windows 11 will ship with AutoHDR, which will implement bright colors in games that run on DirectX 11. You won’t have to do anything to get the feature up and running, either. It’ll just work on its own.
I haven’t been able to use either of these upgrades, though, as my gaming machine is still running on Windows 10, and my Windows 11 test machine isn’t exactly designed for high-end gaming. But seeing as how both DirectStorage and AutoHDR are technologies that come directly from Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, it’s safe to say they’ll work well with Windows 11.
A welcome upgrade
If you’re using Windows 10, you’re eventually going to have to upgrade to Windows 11. That’s just how operating systems work. But the fact that Windows 11 is free, and feels as familiar as it is new, should mean that most users will appreciate the touches Microsoft has made to the OS.
If you’re buying a new computer, getting it with Windows 11 installed is a no-brainer. If you’re doing the upgrading yourself, you’ll likely need to make some minor tweaks to the backend of your PC to ensure the OS works correctly. It’s an annoyance, and something that less tech savvy users will likely find confusing, potentially making it difficult for them to upgrade.
Microsoft has a support page to walk you through the process, but it would be more consumer friendly if it were as simple as clicking upgrade and getting on with things.
Outside of that, the operating system itself is certainly impressive, albeit lacking one of its main features in Android apps. Still, it looks as though Microsoft has set itself up for another generation of success with Windows 11.
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