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Windows 11 review: An unnecessary replacement for Windows 10

 

It's been six long years since the last mainline version of Windows shipped, and a lot has changed in the OS space since then. Microsoft is back with a roaring passion for creating a modern version of the Windows user experience that's simple to use, beautifully designed, and well-connected, making you more productive in your professional or creative workflows.

In a world where more and more people are back using PCs in their day-to-day lives, Microsoft thought it was important to deliver a fresh OS designed from the ground up for working from home while also catering to a new generation of people who have and are still growing up with smartphones and tablets as their primary "computer.”

 

I've been using Windows 11 since it first went into preview back in June on all my PCs. I've loved my time with it, and I think it's the start of a great new era for the OS. This is the first release of Windows 11, meaning there is certainly room for improvement in several areas. So, let's dive into the details with all that in mind. As of February 2022, Microsoft has updated Windows 11 with a handful of new features, including improvements to the taskbarTaskbar such as weather info and muting your mic via the System Tray, support for Android apps, and updated Notepad and Media Player apps. We've updated this review to include those features.

 

Windows 11 review:

Availability What's new First things to do Start menu Taskbar & Action Center Widgets Snap Assist & Task View Teams Chat Touch & Pen Microsoft Store Android Apps File Explorer Apps Settings Miscellaneous Conclusion.

Windows 11 Logo Se.

Windows 11.

 

Bottom line: Microsoft is back with a new version of Windows, featuring an updated design, new features, and a renewed interest in modernizing the desktop UX, at the cost of some classic Windows functionality.

 

Compatibility: Generally, any PC released from 2018 onwards should be fully compatible with Windows 11.

 

Highlights:

 

Brand new design and interface.

Simplified Start Menu and Taskbar.

Improved Microsoft Store.

Great productivity enhancements.

Download from Microsoft.

Windows 11: Availability.

WindowsUpdate upgrade to Windows 11 notification.

Source: Microsoft.

 

Windows 11 is now generally available as an update for eligible Windows 10 PCs. Microsoft is taking a measured and phased approach to the rollout, meaning not everybody will be offered the update immediately. When your PC is ready, a big popup will appear in Windows Update that will allow you to initiate the download and install process, and Windows will do the rest.

 

Your PC must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade:

 

A compatible CPU At least 4GB of RAM At least 64GB of storage UEFI, Secure Boot, & TPM 2.0 enabled.

Windows 11 is also available on new PCs starting October 5, including the new Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 8, and Surface Go 3. More devices from other PC makers are expected to begin shipping from October 5 onwards, all with Windows 11 preloaded.

 

Check out our list of best Windows 11 PCs if you're interested in seeing what new PCs are ready for Windows 11.

 

Windows 11: What's new?

 

Windows 11 focuses on three key areas: a fresh and modern UX designed to simplify using Windows, new features and tweaks built around making you more productive, and a renewed focus on the Microsoft Store.

 

Most top-level user interfaces have been updated with a fresh look with new animations, iconography, and sounds. Everything from the Start menu and taskbarTaskbar right down to the context menus and in-box apps has been updated to look more consistent with the rest of the new Windows 11 design.

 

One of Microsoft's goals with Windows 11 has been to declutter and simplify the user experience (UX) where possible. Microsoft is trying to make the Windows UX easier for casual PC users who may be more familiar with modern OS experiences such as iOS and Android, but this comes at the cost of simplifying some common features or behaviors that some old-school Windows die-hards may struggle to adapt to.

 

The good news is, for those who prefer simplicity over complexity, Windows 11 is going to be a great release for you. It's an absolute joy to use, with an almost perfect fluid UX. Windows 11 is a breath of fresh air for those who enjoy the spectacle of software design and a great release for those who value productivity enhancements and "getting to work" over everything else.

 

Windows 11: First things to do.

Windows 11 Review Oboe.

Source: Windows Central.

 

Windows 11 has a new out-of-box experience, which walks you through setup. Gone is the old Cortana-driven installer, and in its place is a clean and simplistic design that takes you through setting up Windows 11 with ease. That said, Microsoft has made some policy changes here that you need to know about.

 

For the first time, Microsoft is making it mandatory for PCs with Windows 11 Home to be signed in with a Microsoft Account and connected to Wi-Fi during the out-of-box experience. I don't find this a big deal, as I like the integration and benefits you get with signing into a Microsoft Account. However, I know there are many people out there who refuse to use one, and this is going to be a problem for those people.

 

Once you're up and running on Windows 11, the first thing you need to do is head to the Microsoft Store app and check for updates to ensure that you have the latest versions of all the pre-installed Windows 11 apps. Once that's done, you should also head to Windows Update in the new Settings app and check for updates to ensure you have the latest drivers designed for Windows 11.

 

THE REVIEW.

Windows 11: Start menu.

 

Windows 11 introduces new interfaces in almost every area of the desktop experience, including the Start menu. The start has been a staple part of the Windows user experience for decades, so it's always a big deal when it changes significantly, as it has on Windows 11. Now, this isn't a "Windows 8-level" change, but it will still take some getting used to.

 

The new Start menu has taken the simplistic approach to do an app launcher. No longer is the Start menu home to a completely customizable layout of app tiles; it's now a grid of icons that you can pin, unpin, and reorganize, and that's pretty much it. Live tiles are gone, with apps now displaying a static app icon and its name beneath it. This is exactly how other modern OSes do things these days, so it's no surprise to see Windows joining the fray.

 

The Start menu offers three rows of six icons that you can have pinned, with the ability to scroll through "pages" if you have more apps that you need to pin. A full apps list also shows you all your installed apps that can be accessed via the "all apps" button located just above your pinned apps.

 

Along the top of the Start menu is a search bar, which only acts as a shortcut to the dedicated Search function you can access via the search icon on your taskbarTaskbar. Search and Start are still split up on Windows 11, which is fine, but not my favorite way of doing things. There's a very clear disjointed experience when opening start and beginning to type, as there's no animation involved when switching between the two interfaces.

 

Windows 11 Review Search.

Source: Windows Central.

 

Below your pinned apps is a new "Recommended" area that acts as a recent menu for things like documents and installed apps. Whenever you install a new app or open an Office document, it will appear directly in this recommended area for quick access. It's very handy, but it becomes cluttered very quickly as it has no filter controls at all. That means any documents, whether they be photos, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or even random files in some cases, can show up there.

 

I'd love to see filter options become available in the future. For example, I'd love to be able to set how long certain file types actually show up in the Recommended area as a recent file or filter out certain file types altogether. I rarely, if ever, use Excel, so if I'm opening an Excel spreadsheet, I already know I'm probably not going to need to access it again. Being able to hide Excel file types from the recommended feed, in this case, would be good, too.

 

Additionally, you can't disable the recommended area if it's something you know you're not going to use. Even if you clear it and turn the feature "off," a big space that cannot be collapsed or hidden will remain. This makes the whole UX look silly, as you can't use that extra space to show more pinned apps if that's something you'd want to do.

 

Windows 11: Taskbar and Action Center.

Windows 11 Review Action Center.

Source: Windows Central.

 

A big area of change on Windows 11 is with the new taskbarTaskbar, which has essentially been rebuilt from the ground up with simplicity at its core. You'll immediately notice that Microsoft has changed the layout of the taskbar so system buttons and pinned or running apps are centered. This is a big change to the taskbarTaskbar, which has always been left-aligned.

 

I thought this change would take a long time to get used to, but I adjusted to it almost instantly. I like the new Taskbar layout, and after just a few hours of using Windows 11, I came to prefer my icons being centered. They feel more immediately accessible, and I no longer have to turn my head into the corner on my massive ultrawide monitor. Things just look cleaner, which is a big deal for me personally.

 

All of the system icons (Start, Task View, Search, Teams Chat, and Widgets) have cute little animations that play when you click on them. And you’re pinned or running apps also have subtle pulse animations that play when you click on them. These small animations go a long way to making Windows 11 feel like a fluid experience, which is leaps and bounds over the user experience on Windows 10.

 

As of February 2022, Microsoft has updated the entry point for the Widgets feature. Once set up, the Widgets button will shift over to the far left of the taskbarTaskbar where the old Start button used to be and will present up-to-date weather information directly on the taskbarTaskbar. This is a nice feature, even if you don't use the Widgets panel much. Seeing the weather as glanceable info directly on the taskbarTaskbar is a nice addition.

 

There are also a couple of new behaviors for Microsoft Teams users. When in a call, you can now present an app window directly when hovering over an open app icon on the taskbarTaskbar. You can also mute and unmute your microphone directly from the taskbarTaskbar. Microsoft says these features are available to other communication apps as long as developers update their apps to support these additional Taskbar features.

 

Windows 11 Review Taskbar Animations.

Source: Windows Central.

 

Microsoft has done everything it can to simplify the Taskbar UX to the point that it might be somewhat problematic for long-time Windows users. For example, you can no longer configure the taskbarTaskbar to appear on the left, right, or top of your display. There are also no additional Taskbar options in the right-click menu, with everything now moving into the new Settings app.

 

Microsoft has also removed common functions that even I've struggled with in my daily workflow. On every version of Windows prior, you've been able to drag a file into an app icon on the taskbarTaskbar to drop it into that app, but that feature is gone on Windows 11. Without it, multitasking becomes a little trickier. The taskbarTaskbar is also worse if you use multiple monitors, too, as things like the date and time no longer show up on your other displays, only the main one.

 

While I like the new design of the taskbarTaskbar, its functionality has certainly taken a step back on Windows 11. If you're the person who never really touched the taskbarTaskbar outside of clicking it to launch apps, you won't have any problems here. However, if you're used to utilizing some of the taskbar'sTaskbar's more advanced features on Windows 10, such as toolbars, multitasking shortcuts, and more, most of those are gone now on Windows 11.

 

Windows 11 Review Quick settings.

Source: Windows Central.

Elsewhere, the System Tray has been re-done on Windows 11 to simplify it as much as possible. Microsoft has split up the Action Center into two separate flyouts: one for notifications and the other for quick settings. Clicking on the date and time button will open up your calendar view and notifications, and clicking on either Wi-Fi, Volume, or Battery will open the new Quick Settings panel.

 

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