Windows 11, the successor to the 2015 Windows 10 operating system, has now been rolled out by Microsoft (released on October 5th 2021). Designed, in their own words ‘to empower your productivity and inspire your creativity’ the new system is ‘modern, fresh, clean and beautiful’, but is it any good? And should you be upgrading today?
Firstly, it is worth checking if you CAN upgrade as Microsoft have set some pretty strict security and minimum system requirements for taking advantage of the free upgrade from Microsoft 10 (details can be found here).
As a handy addition, future upgrades have been made smaller and will come with an ‘estimated time’ so that you can decide when to do them.
Whilst the appearance has been made more modern and fresher (rounded corners and sharper colours) it is still early days but Microsoft are promising improvements across the board, including:
- A touch optimized task bar (as well as mouse peripherals) renamed ‘The Dock’
- The new ‘Snap Layouts’ feature that allows multiple windows to be displayed across the screen, not just side by side.
- ‘Snap Groups’ allows you to view previously ‘snapped’ windows from the dock (the old task bar)
- An improved ‘health check’ application that will advise users when and how to adjust settings to maximise battery life.
- Improved ‘multi monitor support’ means that the system will remember the previous positions of displays on dual monitors.
- The store front has been redesigned and made easier to navigate and widgets are back allowing access to Bing! Weather, maps, news and more.
There are also improvements for Teams which has been integrated into the dock for ease of use and the Start menu has been moved to the centre of the screen as dynamic ‘cloud powered’ content that will change depending on the time of day and your current project.
Ultimately the introduction of Windows 11 is looking very positive but, as is often the case with new roll outs, we expect there will be a few teething problems in the early stages and there is no need to rush into upgrading straight away.
If you would like more information about Windows 11 or assistance from 2.0 to upgrade your system speak to us today.
Image: Microsoft
