THE BOTTOM LINE

A completely modern and more consistent windows design masks the evolutionary upgrading of the world’s most famous desktop operating system.

Microsoft took a risk and upgraded its operating system with Windows 11, although many of the changes were just whitewash. Windows 11 is introduced as a response to apple and Google competition, both of which are nibbling at the edge of the market’s leading desktop operating system with clever new designs. Although the appearance of windows 11 has been greatly updated to cope with the competition, its functions, like windows 10, have significant additional functions and convenience. After six years of Ho hum upgrade, the appearance and feel of the world’s most popular desktop operating system have changed significantly. This is a welcome news: Windows fans have finally had some exciting things.

Although it looks different from windows 10, it doesn’t surprise us. It yet has all the same applications, and many new features are equivalent to reassembling and rearranging furniture. Of course, windows 11 looks more mellow for all windows, simpler icons with taskbar icons in the middle, and more elegant setting dialog boxes, but it is not completely strange, or it needs a new process like Windows 8. The new interface is attracting users, but if you like and familiar to the windows 10 style look, you may just want to stick with windows 10.

Windows 11 is still under development. Like windows 10, you can inform manufacturers what you want to add to the software in a dedicated feedback center application, and you may be surprised by its listening frequency. Anyone can register a preview version of the operating system through the windows insider program. This allows you to experience new features before they are released. The next major update, 22Hz, is expected to add start menu options, some redesigned stock applications, and machine learning intelligence.

What are the requirements? How do I get Microsoft Windows 11?

Windows 11 is available from October 5, 2021 onwards. First, this upgrade will apply to the latest and newest personal computers, and then will be provided to windows 10 systems free of charge on a rolling basis according to the verified hardware configuration. ADduplex’s latest survey (February 2022) shows that more than 19% of personal computers use windows 11, which is significant considering that 1.3 billion devices are running Windows.

Pricing for non upgraded products has not been decided yet, i.e. virtual machine installation or non windows 10 computers and DIY PC version. The price of the independent license will remain the same as that of windows 10 as we guess i.e. – $139.99 – home version and $199.99 – Pro version, but even after the release of windows 11, Microsoft still has no information about this option.

They have very low 64GB CPU and 64GB RAM of windows 11 storage systems, but they have made a lot of modifications in the windows 11 system requirements. Requires 64-bit processor; There is no longer a 32-bit version of the operating system. Computer with TPM security chip also will be required and security boot function. These problems are not as serious as the Internet shows, because they have been the standard configuration of most personal computers for the past six years or so. The real limiter is the CPU model, which takes about the past four years. Microsoft recently re launched a tool to figure out users’ computer’s ability to run Windows 11. The company announced that more computers will be able to upgrade to windows 11.

Anyone with an update chip can install windows 11 through windows update. Microsoft provides a downloadable ISO disk image file for the beta insider version, which can be used to install windows 11 and allow in place upgrade and also clean installation on PC or virtual machine. Similar installation choices are now available for windows 11 distributions through Microsoft’s Download Windows 11 page. Some sources claim that installing the operating system using the ISO installer bypasses the hardware requirements of the system, but this is not desirable because future operating system updates may not be available if the operating system is installed on unsupported hardware.

Like windows 10, windows 11 has home and professional versions. To upgrade to windows 11 home, you need to sign in to an Online Microsoft account, which has aroused the anger of some commentators, although I really don’t think it’s a problem worth discussing. In any case, those who are enthusiastic about not installing the operating system are likely to be running the pro version. If you don’t want to spend money for it and you object to logging in with your operating system’s online account, can I recommend Ubuntu?

The last note about installation is that if you prefer an older operating system version, you can go back to windows for 10 days after upgrading.

New look for Microsoft Windows 11

Most of the work on Windows 11 is to redesign the interface except building new functions, so as mentioned earlier, the operating system is more familiar than you expected. It draws on the concept of chrome operating system, but you can still place application icons on the desktop background, which is not allowed by Google’s lightweight desktop operating system.

Window processing and multitasking in windows are also much more advanced. All windows have rounded interfaces (like those in MacOS), which is not a significant change, but it does make the operating system look smoother. Microsoft’s smooth design system and its new mica materials occupies a place in the redesign. This translucent appearance appears in more and more applications and utilities. Many new designs have brought welcome new fluency and consistency to the windows interface, but there are some changes in Windows 11 that I don’t like, which you will know by reading below.

Taskbar, start menu, and file manager

For years, the windows start button has been located in the lower left corner of the screen, so although it may be a small detail, being familiar to it at the left edge of the center icon may be one of the larger adjustments you need have. The problem for me is that the start menu has been in the same place so far. But, if you handle more programs, it will move a little to the left. In the version of windows more than 20 years ago, it was an advantage not to consider the location of the start button at all. Fortunately, the taskbar alignment option allows you to move the start button back to its correct position in the left corner.

I’m not particularly fascinated by the new taskbar itself. It has smaller buttons and less information. In Windows 10, you can clearly see which programs are running, because if you choose not to combine them in settings, the taskbar button for running programs will be wider. Fortunately, you can still hover over the button, view the thumbnail of the application window, and then right-click to open the jump list, which shows the recent documents or other common actions of the application.

Windows 11 introduced some major changes to the start menu. Pinned application buttons, which are larger than icons but smaller than windows 10 tiles, are located at the top of the panel. Recent and most using applications and documents are in the following section or in the section below them. The new mini tile from the start menu is still suitable for touch input, but you will lose the information provided by live tiles, which can be annoying. One more question I have about the new start menu is that it is more difficult to enter the all apps view than windows 10. You can see all installed applications, with this version of windows as long as you open the “start” menu; They are in the list on the left, while the tiles of your fixed application are on the right.

Another good example of the new look of windows 11 is File Explorer, especially its updated left panel controls and folder icons. The simplified ribbon at the top is less busy and distracting than the previous file explorer. The “new” button in the upper left corner is applicable to new folders or documents supported by the application, and the same file viewing options (list, icons of different sizes) can be used. The overflow menu provides options for file compression, selection, and properties, also the old folder options dialog box. Over time, the right-click menu is getting longer and longer, becoming shorter, smarter and clearer in Windows 11. They now display only the most commonly used options.

Widgets in Windows 11

Widget panel in windows 11 can display news, sport scores weather, stock quotes, and other information. This is nothing new, because the news and interest’s taskbar pop-up window that recently appeared on Windows 10 is very similar. A recent update made it more similar by adding a weather indicator to the taskbar. In addition to the first-party interactive program made by Microsoft in the widgets panel, third-party developers can also provide content through windows 11 widgets. Touch screen users can easily slide in from the left to open them, and if you want a larger view, you can display the widget panel in full screen.

The entertainment widget can display new movies and TV programs, and the family widget is suitable for people using Microsoft family safety parental control tools. For more information, read how to use widgets in Windows 11.

Notification; Quick settings in windows 11

Windows 10 action center split into two separate panels by Microsoft and click the target. This is similar to Apple’s improved MacOS notification area. It used to be a clean and simple single panel, but now it is a group of smaller pop-up windows. The windows 11 version is not as bad as the Mac OS version, many users still prefer to use a single action center panel. I like this circle number, which is similar to the number on some mobile app icons and shows the number of notifications you receive. The touch screen user can slide in from the right to display the notification panel.

When you click the Wi Fi, speaker, or battery icon, the quick settings panel opens. It displays buttons for Wi Fi, airplane mode, Bluetooth, battery saver, and accessibility by default, as well as sliders for audio volume, focus assist and screen brightness. A pencil icon allows you to customize the display mode of the button. You can choose connection for external display and audio, keyboard layout, nearby sharing for example airdrop, night lighting and projection. Although user can hover over the three icons on the taskbar in order to check their status, better to pop up only the sound setting when pressing the speaker and only the Wi Fi option when pressing the Wi Fi icon.

Settings

One of the more annoying things about windows 10 is its inconsistent window and dialog settings. When any user uninstalls programs in new settings applications, and sometimes in outdated control panels. This inconsistency almost completely disappeared in Windows 11. Some detailed controls like sound devices, you can yet see the old style content although the window uses the new design.

The dark mode effectively use transparency where the modes are better than windows 10. Compared with MacOS, dark mode can now look up proudly.

In settings, you can still change the system sound but the new windows 11 default sound set is smooth, fast and modern.

Snapshot layout and multitasking

Windows has long surpassed MacOS in the way it allows user to arrange application windows on the screen, and this gap is growing with the emergence of windows 11’s new snapshot layout options. You can use this tool by hovering the cursor over the maximize button in the upper right corner of any window. I think it seems a little hidden. I hope and expect Microsoft to better display this function in some way. When hover over the maximize button, you will see two windows arranged side by side, three windows with one large window and two small windows, and so on, as shown below.

You can open application groups or individual applications, as the snapshot layout is displayed as an option in the taskbar. When you open a set of applications multiple times on an external display, you will also see the retained layout.

Windows still offers multiple virtual desktops, which is very useful for separating working applications and websites from personal applications and websites. I can press Ctrl – windows – arrows to move back and forth between them, or press the windows – tab keyboard shortcut to select one from the task view. With windows 11, you can now slide back and forth with four fingers, which Mac users have long liked, although only through the touch pad, not on the screen. Another new feature is to set a different desktop background (also known as wallpaper) for each desktop.

Team chat integration

By default, Microsoft’s team chat and video conferencing applications are located in the center of the taskbar. This move makes sense with the increasing importance of virtual conferencing, Microsoft may be able to seize some of the video conferencing market. During the cvid-19 pandemic, the team increased significantly from 20 million to 145 million active users, but it is unclear whether it can be as ubiquitous as Microsoft wants. Adding the Skype “meet now” button to the notification area of windows 10 did not produce this effect. (nevertheless, Skype is still an excellent and powerful communication tool.) But perhaps once windows 11 becomes the dominant version, the popularity of the operating system will accelerate the adoption of team’s chat.

To start, click the chat icon. The welcome experience will prompt you to have the application access to your Microsoft account and its contacts. After the initial setup is completed, when you click the icon later, user will see a list of contacts with all. Click one of them to start chatting. Your contacts may not have used teams chat yet, so the app will send an invitation to join the team at the same time as the first message (personal use is free). A strange thing about this interface is that once you are in video chat, you will see the second team taskbar icon and the chat icon in the middle; For me, this seems to be an unnecessary repetition. However, a killer feature of the windows 11 teams’ app is that it allows you to have a free conversation with anyone with a mobile phone via SMS on your PC!

A Better Screenshot Tool

Windows 10 provides a great screenshot tool know as Snip & Sketch. Press the windows key shift-s keyboard shortcut to select an area (rectangular or free-form), a window or the whole screen, and capture a screenshot that you can paste from the clipboard or open in the image editor. Except that, windows 11 has a new clipping tool. It is named after an early, less powerful screenshot tool that was once a favorite of windows enthusiasts. The screenshot tool adds an optional timer delay before the screenshot. There are other screenshot methods in Windows 11, including the use of the proven prtsc key, the game bar, third-party screenshot utilities, and so on. Refer article “how to take screenshots in Windows 11” for all the details.

Windows 11 on tablets

Unfortunately, windows 11 has abandoned several of the best tablet and touch screen friendly features. You can no longer slide from the left to open the task switching view. This is the gesture I have been using on the surface go tablet. You can no longer slide down from the top to close the application. This omission is no big deal, because you can still press the X in the upper right corner of the window as in desktop mode.

However, for handheld devices, sliding down is more direct and need less flexibility. But, there is now a new three finger slide gesture to display the task view and minimize (not close) applications on the desktop. The lateral sliding of three fingers can switch between running applications. You can use the task view button on the taskbar, but it’s not as fast as a thumb. I think for tablet users, switching tasks is more important than accessing widgets, which is what you can get by sliding your thumb now.

On the other hand, windows 11 tablet owners can get new Stylus choices and on-screen touch keyboard skills. The new surface slim pen 2 has tactile feedback. The latest generation of pen (available on surface Pro 8 and surface laptop studio) will buzz in your hand, for example, when you delete previously written text, when you click the back button to open the whiteboard application. In this application, you can experience the complete digital ink experience, which has reached the level of feeling like writing in ink. For example, you can highlight text, write freehand (although a little scrawled), and draw charts. You can even change written text into digital text. The on-screen keyboard supports sliding text input and provides a healthy choice of emoticons and gifs. Now it allows you to choose a custom background.

When it comes to emoticons, Microsoft introduced emoticons influenced by fluent design. On Windows 11, as on its predecessor, you can click the windows key period access a small panel containing a large number of symbols, special characters, and emoticons. Judy Safran Aasen, the project manager of Microsoft Windows design team, wrote in a blog post that the new emoticons will be extended to a wide range of Unicode emoticons, and they use more modern and expressive emoticons in hybrid communication to add fun, expression and personality to your communication. They seem to convey a more direct feeling to me.

Voice input (useful for both tablets and non tablets) is the new addressing for windows 10 magical voice dictation tool. The voice text conversion function of windows has been significantly improved in recent years. Now machine learning algorithms are used to correct guessing and punctuation. As with the previous dictation function, you can start the tool by pressing the windows Key-H keyboard shortcut or by pressing the microphone icon on the touch keyboard on the screen. Then, you simply give the spellings of the text you want to enter in the text area of the screen.

New app store for Android!

Like the rest of the interface, the Microsoft Store app (also known as the windows store) has been cleverly designed and updated. In addition to apps, the store also offers movies and TV programs, as well as games. For some ideas on what to install, please read our windows 11 best practices overview.

A prominent feature of windows 11 is the ability to run Android applications, but there are some warnings. You must install them through the Amazon store running in the Microsoft Store of windows or as a side loading APK. Android apps are now available on Windows 11, but the feature is still considered in preview.

Perhaps more importantly for the store, developers no longer need to use uwp application types for coding. Even Microsoft’s own huge Visual Studio development program is now in the store. Microsoft also announced that progressive web apps will also enter the store. Progressive web application is actually a website with some additional code, which gives the quality of similar applications.

Updated stock apps

In addition to the applications available in the store, the updated stock application can also obtain standard applications, such as updated photo application, groove music player supporting FLAC, tape recorder, two painting applications (3D and redesigned classic painting), mail, calendar, etc. We hope that with the development of windows 11, the last two functions mentioned above will be greatly improved. In the original version, we still keep the existing application, although there are fillets, but the new version will be based on the excellent version of outlook progressive web application. Common domain name format. Microsoft has started to include the latest paint application (although I’ve begun to like modern paint 3D) and a new version of Notepad (with dark mode!) And calculators.

A new media player application was introduced to replace Windows media player and also to replace groove music player. Music library and playlists will automatically migrate to the new media player if music is stored in groove, when your computer gets updated. The new player will not replace movie and TV applications, which is the default video player and directory application for content purchased through Microsoft Store; Movies & TV also supports a cross platform movie anywhere system.

Chromium based Microsoft edge work as the default browser. Internet Explorer no longer exists as a stand-alone program, although companies that need to provide i.e. function for their custom business applications can call this function through edge when enabled. Internet experts criticized Microsoft’s decision. Microsoft asked edge to provide some operating system related functions, such as news widgets and built-in search function, but you can still use the browser of your choice as the default link opener. The company is also checking a set default browser button to make switching easier.

Especially worth mentioning is the latest clock application, which now provides a way to help you complete your tasks. It still provides alarm clock, timer and world clock, but its focus session function is integrated with Spotify to provide appropriate background music for your tasks and integrated with the to do application, so you can check these tasks after completing them.

Windows 11 makes things a little tricky when setting applications to the default settings for some file types: you now have to change the settings for each file type, rather than just selecting an application to handle, for example, all photo files.

Games and new technologies.

PC gamers are rarely excluded from major new windows updates, and windows 11 is no exception. There are two benefits: game selection and technology. The Xbox app built into windows 11 provides access to the Xbox game pass video game collection which contains games such as Twelve minutes, Halo infinity, and age of Empires 4. The application also supports Microsoft’s streaming media game platform Xbox cloud gaming. It mainly upkeeps the PC consistent with the Xbox, although users can control how much hardware power they want to invest in the game.

Windows 11 introduces automatic HDR and direct storage for new game technology. The first one expands the color space to show excellent clarity even in non HDR games. Directstorage, the second technology which is a subset of Xbox velocity Architecture, can bypass the CPU and load graphics memory directly, so as to speed up the loading of games.

Other technological advances in Windows 11 include dynamic refresh. Dynamic refresh can reduce the high refresh rate of the screen when not needed, thereby saving the battery of notebook computers. The operating system also supports the faster Wi Fi 6e standard. The requirements of TPM and security boot are part of Microsoft’s security technology to strengthen the operating system. This topic is worthy of a separate article.

In terms of the original performance of the traditional comprehensive benchmark, the new operating system is largely equivalent to windows 10. Our hardware team ran game performance and productivity performance benchmarks on the same PC using Windows 10, and then tested again after upgrading to windows 11. The team found that the performance of windows 11 was equally good, even improved in frame rate, and had a slight advantage in productivity testing. In any case, if you find windows 11 running slowly, you can still speed it up with some tips.

Beyond Accessibility

In subsequent blog posts after the release of the new operating system, Microsoft introduced in detail the new auxiliary functions in Windows 11 to add existing functions, such as narration, magnifying glass, closed captioning and windows speech recognition, as well as support for third-party auxiliary hardware and software. For example, windows 11 has a new comparison theme, a redesigned closed caption theme, and AI supported windows voice input. The new operating system also adds APIs for programming auxiliary applications, and even the Windows Linux subsystem (WSL) now has accessibility options.

What happened in Windows 11?

Some legacy functions are no longer suitable for the new method of windows 11, which makes sense. Few of the facilities I like are obviously disappearing. Aero Peek and Aero Shake are off by default in Windows 11, but you can re enable them in settings.

By default, Cortana AI voice assistant is not pre installed on Windows 11 systems, but it can still be used in the app store. Live tiles have also disappeared, and widgets have now replaced their functionality. Tablet mode has been replaced by what Microsoft calls new features and functions… For keyboard connection and separation posture. Another victim is the windows 10 schedule, although the “recommendations” section of the start menu still shows your recent documents and applications.

It’s time for a new window

Aside from some minor complaints, we would like to see Microsoft pay some attention to its marquee software. In the past few years, considering the profitability of azure cloud computing business, it is reasonable for the company to focus more on this business. Windows 11 brings a smooth new look, useful new tools, updated default applications, additional features and performance improvements. Maybe this is enough to attract some Chrome OS users or Mac users. Anyway, it’s too early for this new version of desktop operating system to be used on 1.3 billion PCs, so we expect Microsoft to fine tune and improve the design of windows 11 in future updates. We’ve seen this. The weather icon returns to the taskbar.

Windows 11 contains most of the feature set of windows 10 and enhances the operating system through more attractive modern interfaces and new convenience such as snapshot layouts and widgets. For these reasons, although Microsoft’s windows 11 has experienced some pain in the growth process and showed an unfamiliar side, it is still the first choice for expertise and won the favor of desktop operating system, although its score is slightly lower than four stars. We hope Microsoft can continue to improve. At present, the more refined Apple MacOS is also the winner of people choice.

Baseline

A completely modern and more consistent windows design masks the evolutionary upgrading of the world’s most popular desktop operating system.

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