Microsoft has introduced a new generation of Windows
At a presentation on June 24, Microsoft showed Windows 11. The new version of the operating system received a redesign, including the Start menu, control panel and other system elements. The operating system is based on the developments of Windows 10X, developed for hybrid devices with two screens, such as the Microsoft Surface Duo. However, in 2021, the project was closed before the official version of 10X was released. They also pointed out at the presentation that the updates, like the system itself, began to take up less space. The company calls Windows 11 the largest system update in 10 years.
The system has received a new design
With the redesign in Windows 11, application windows are now semi-transparent and the corners are rounded. At the same time, they introduced Snap Layouts, which expands the possibilities for quick arrangement of windows. So, when you hold the cursor on the full-screen mode button, options appear for placing two, three and four windows with different proportions on the screen. These programs can be added to a group and run with a selected arrangement with one click.
Microsoft changed the Start menu again
Windows has once again changed the Start menu. Now it, like open applications, is in the center of the taskbar. However, if you wish, you can move it to the corner, as it was before. In addition, the company got rid of the “Live Tiles” and now the menu contains only pinned files and programs, as well as keys for quickly shutting down or restarting the computer. Previously, this required navigating to a submenu.
New Start Menu. Screenshot: Microsoft Widgets will be returned to the system
Windows 11 will add support for widgets, which was still in Windows 7. However, the company plans to implement the function differently, in the manner of macOS. The widget window is launched from a separate button and contains relevant information: weather, exchange rates, news. Separately, it is emphasized that the news feed widget adjusts to the user, offering him content that is interesting to him. Subsequently, there will be support for third-party widgets.
Windows got mobile apps
The system will see Android apps available in the Amazon App Store. At the same time, you need to download them through the Microsoft Store, and they will work as full-fledged programs for Windows, that is, they can be pinned to the Start menu, expanded to full screen and moved. As an example, they showed the work of the TikTok mobile client on a new OS, but it is not completely clear how many programs will be available due to the differences in the ARM and x86 architecture.
Windows 11 will receive support for Android applications. Screenshot: Microsoft Windows 11 will be free
Microsoft announced that the upgrade to Windows 11 will be free for all users of licensed Windows 10. The minimum system requirements are as follows: 64-bit processor, four gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of internal memory. Users will receive the update from Windows 10 to 11 in the same way as other updates – through the “Update Center”.
Testers will receive Windows 11 at the end of June, when regular users will receive it in waves. The company plans to send updates in portions after the first tests.
Window management with Snap Layouts. Screenshot: Microsoft An early version of the system was leaked a few weeks before the presentation
In mid-June, a large number of screenshots of the new system appeared on the network. Later it turned out that they were all made with a preliminary build of Windows 11, and then the build itself appeared on the network. This allowed anyone to install a new operating system on their computer and evaluate it. The company later indirectly confirmed the leak in an attempt to use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to stop the leaked ISO image of the new OS from spreading on the Internet. In particular, Microsoft Japan asked Google to remove links to sites that distribute “a leaked copy of an unreleased Windows 11” from its search results.
