MICROSOFT unveiled the new Windows 11 at an online event last night.
The company's chief product officer, Panos Panay, Windows + Devices, said the new operating system (OS) is designed to bring users closer to what they love.
"Windows has always existed to be a stage for the world's innovation. It's been the backbone of global businesses and where scrappy startups became household names. The web was born and grew up on Windows. It's the place where many of us wrote our first email, played our first PC game and wrote our first line of code," he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought an incredible shift in how we use our PCs and this perhaps has influenced how the OS is designed.
"What was so powerful was the shift in the PC we saw and felt – from something practical and functional to something personal and emotional. This is what inspired us as we were building the next generation of Windows. To build you a place that feels familiar, where you can create, learn, play and most importantly, connect in all new ways," said Panos.
Boost in productivity
Microsoft has simplified the design and user experience of Windows 11 to empower users' productivity and inspire creativity.
It looks like the OS has a modern, fresh, clean and beautiful interface. From the new Start button and taskbar to each sound, font and icon, everything was done intentionally to put users in control and bring a sense of calm and ease.
"We put Start at the centre and made it easier to quickly find what you need. Start utilises the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what platform or device you were viewing them on earlier, even if it was on an Android or iOS device," said Panos.
Among the new features in Windows 11 are Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops, which are designed to provide a more powerful way to multitask and stay on top of what you need to get done.
"These are new features designed to help you organise your windows and optimise your screen real estate so you can see what you need just the way you want in a layout that's visually clean. You can also create separate Desktops for each part of your life and customise them to your liking – imagine having a Desktop for work, gaming or school," he explained.
Faster way to connect to people
Windows 11 offers a faster way to connect to the people you care about.
"The last 18 months drove new behaviour for how we create meaningful connections with people digitally. Even as we start to return to more in-person interaction, we want to continue to make it easy for people to stay close with each other no matter where they are. And we don't want the device or platform you're on to be a barrier," said Panos.
To enable this, Microsoft introduced Chat from Microsoft Teams, integrated in the taskbar. This allows people to instantly connect through text, chat, voice or video with all of your personal contacts, anywhere, no matter the platform or device they're on, across Windows, Android or iOS.
Windows 11 also gives you a more natural way to connect with friends and family through Teams, allowing you to instantly mute and unmute, or start presenting directly from the taskbar.
Better gaming experience
Windows 11 is designed with gamers in mind.
It now has DirectX 12 Ultimate, which can enable breathtaking, immersive graphics at high frame rates; DirectStorage for faster load times and more detailed game worlds; and Auto HDR for a wider, more vivid range of colours for a truly captivating visual experience.
With Xbox Game Pass for PC or Ultimate, gamers get access to over 100 high-quality PC games with new games added all the time, and it's still just as easy to find people to play with, no matter if they're playing on a PC or console.
Faster access to information
Windows 11 brings you closer to the news and information you care about faster with Widgets – a new personalised feed powered by AI and best-in-class browser performance from Microsoft Edge.
Even when we're at our most focused and creative we still need breaks – a moment to check in with the outside world or give ourselves a mental reset. Today, we often pick up our phones to check the news, weather or notifications.
For creators and publishers, Widgets also opens new real estate within Windows to deliver personalised content. Our aspiration is to create a vibrant pipeline for global brands and local creators alike, in a way that both consumers and creators can benefit.
An all-new Microsoft Store
In Windows 11, there is Microsoft Store, which is a single trusted location for apps and content to watch, create, play, work and learn.
Microsoft said it's been rebuilt for speed and with an all-new design that is beautiful and simple to use.
"Not only will we bring you more apps than ever before, we're also making all content – apps, games, shows, movies – easier to search for and discover with curated stories and collections," said Panos.
"We're excited to soon be welcoming leading first and third-party apps like Microsoft Teams, Visual Studio, Disney+, Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoom and Canva to the Microsoft Store," he added.
Besides that, Microsoft is also bringing Android apps to Windows for the first time later this year.
Faster and more secure
For IT, Windows 11 is built on the consistent, compatible and familiar Windows 10 foundation.
Panos said upgrading to Windows 11 will be like taking a Windows 10 update.
"The familiar management experiences you have in place today – like Microsoft Endpoint Manager, cloud configuration, Windows Update for Business and Autopilot – will support your environment of tomorrow as you integrate Windows 11 into your estate," he said.
Microsoft said Windows 11 is also secure by design, with new built-in security technologies that will add protection from the chip to the cloud, while enabling productivity and new experiences. Windows 11 provides a Zero Trust-ready operating system to protect data and access across devices.
Partner initiatives
Microsoft has been working closely with its hardware and silicon partners for seamless integration across software and hardware.
"That co-engineering begins with innovation in the silicon. From AMD and the incredible graphics depth brought by the Ryzen processors to the incredible performance of Intel's 11th gen and Evo Processors, to Qualcomm's AI prowess, 5G and Arm support, the innovation of our silicon partners brings together the best of Windows 11 with the largest hardware ecosystem in the world," said Panos.
"And with Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Surface and others, we've worked to ensure most PCs you can buy today will be ready for Windows 11 – across a variety of form factors and price points," he said.
"When you use Windows 11 on a tablet without a keyboard, we've improved the experience for touch, creating more space between the icons in the taskbar, adding bigger touch targets and subtle visual cues to make resizing and moving windows easier, as well as adding gestures. We're also enabling haptics to make using your pen even more engaging and immersive – allowing you to hear and feel the vibrations as you click through and edit or sketch," he explained.
Voice typing
Lastly, Microsoft brought forward enhancements in voice typing.
"Windows 11 is incredible at recognizing what you say; it can automatically punctuate for you, and comes with voice commands. This is a fantastic feature for when you want to take a break from typing and speak your ideas instead," said Panos.
Availability
Windows 11 will be available through a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs by the holiday season this year.
To check if your current Windows 10 PC is eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 11, visit Windows.com to download the PC Health Check app.