Finally, after waiting for about six years a new version of Windows has finally come out. It has been a few days since it’s released at the time of writing this blog. Finally, this time we are seeing a major design overhaul after so many years. But there are lots of confusion regarding this latest version of the very popular Windows operating system. So let’s find out what’s new and everything else you need to know about the Windows 11.
A breath of fresh Air
Windows 11 is simply more pleasing to look at. With Windows 11, we finally got a breath of fresh air. There are quite a bunch of interface changes. Such as the change in the position of the taskbar icons, which now are located at the centre of the screen as compared to the original left. Though, you still get the ability to move them back to their original position.
Microsoft is also revamping the Start menu. It got a much cleaner look now. Windows 11 is also removing the Live Tiles feature which was originally introduced with Windows 8. Live tiles got the ability to present the data from some applications right in the start menu. These live tiles are now going to be replaced with Widgets, which are going to be accessible from the Windows taskbar. You will be able to personalize these widgets based on your preferences. And unlike live tiles, you will also be able to resize them. These widgets can show your upcoming calendar events, your reminders, news or some other information you might be interested in.
You also get better multitasking features. You can split the actual workspace in multiple ways. And in each workspace, you can open different applications. And you also get the ability to save your combination of applications and splitting information. Which will help you in getting back to the work easier. You will spend less time setting up your workflow before you can actually start working. Which have been there in Linux for ages. It’s good to see better workflow management in Windows 11.
Android applications
It’s been quite a while since we have got the ability to run the android applications on the desktop. There are lots of android emulators out there using which we can run Android applications on PC. And the most used emulator is BlueStacks. It acts as a container for the android applications that you want to run on your desktop. Android applications don’t run natively on desktop PC’s.
But with Windows 11 you will get the ability to run those applications on the desktop natively, kinda. It’s kinda because they are not made to run natively on desktop processors. But the Microsoft has partnered with Amazon to bring the android applications available on their store to Windows store. With this you will get the ability to download the android applications from the Windows store. And you won’t need to download an emulator to run those android applications.
Is it free?
Windows 11 is a free upgrade for Windows 10 users just as long your system meets the requirements. Which is the pain point here. A large part of active systems out there won’t be able to upgrade to Windows 11 because of their stringent requirements.
But in case you don’t have a window 10 license then upgrade to Windows 11 will cost you some money, the amount of isn’t clear yet. But most probably its price is going to be less or equal to the price of Windows 10.
Is your device supported?
What concerns most of the people out there right now whether their device will be eligible for Windows 11 upgrade or not. Microsoft has set system requirements for running Windows 11 quite high. Some of its requirements has made it impossible for many Windows 10 users to get this latest iteration on Windows. This has made their system obsolete. So, if you also are also someone who owns a PC or laptop which is 3 or more years old, then you won’t be able to upgrade your system. Even though you will still receive feature and security upgrades until the year 2025.
Some of the requirements of Windows 11 are:-
- Your system will need to have atleast 4GB of RAM.
- Minimum storage of 64GB
- Your system will need a processor with atleast 2 cores and with the clock speed of 1Ghz. (Here’s the list of all the supported AMD, Intel and Qualcomm Processors)
- A graphics card that is capable with DirectX 12 and Windows Display Driver Model(WDDM) 2.0 or greater
- TPM 2.0 security chip
TPM 2.0 What is it? Will It work on TPM 1.2 ?
TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module. The latest version of this module is 2.0. It’s a dedicated piece of hardware whose primary function is to perform cryptographic operations to ensure secure encryption and also preventing it from malicious attacks.
If you have bought your system before 2016 then it’s likely that your system either comes with TPM 1.2 or none. If your system doesn’t come with TPM module, then you won’t be able to run Windows 11, but in case your system have TPM 1.2 then you can run Windows 11 on it, which was later clarified by Windows.
But there is something you need to do before that. You will need to enable the TPM module in your system. To enable the TPM module you will need to head over to the BIOS of the system. There you will find the settings where you can enable the TPM module.
How can you download Windows 11?
Windows 11 is not yet available for the public, but when it comes out later this year and if your device is eligible for the free Windows 11 upgrade. You can head over to the settings and then navigate to update and security here you will find the option to check for upgrades. If it’s available, you will be able to see the option to upgrade to Windows 11.
But in case you can’t wait to try it out. You can still get it by enrolling in the Windows Insider Programs. Windows Insider program will let you receive Windows upgrades earlier, but be aware they can be buggy, as they are yet to go from the testing phase. The purpose of the Windows Insider program is to test the latest iterations of Windows before it can be rolled out to the public. When you enroll in this program Windows will collect the data from your system, to ensure that everything is running smoothly for everyone.
