While it had been widely believed that Windows 10 was the last version of the iconic software, October 5th has been announced as the release date for Microsoft’s Windows 11. The new OS will be provided as a free upgrade for many Windows 10 users or as an add-on to new hardware which will preload Windows 11 before shipment. Although this upgrade will begin to be available in early October, it will be rolled out in phases – much like most of the organization’s products in the past. New devices will have access to the upgrade initially, with Windows 11 becoming available for in-market devices through the following months. If you are currently operating a Windows 10 PC, Windows Update will inform you when the new upgrade is available for your device. You can also proactively check Windows Update or PC Health Check to see if you are currently eligible for the upgrade.
“Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience,” explains Aaron Woodman, general manager of Windows marketing at Microsoft. “We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.”
Windows 11 System Requirements
The new update showcases a new set of system requirements to make sure that Windows 11 PCs are performing optimally, both for the security and stability of your network.
The minimum system requirements are:
- A modern 1GHz 64-bit dual-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB drive
- 9-inch display
- 1366×768 resolution
- UEFI, Secure Boot & TPM 2.0 compatible
- DirectX 12 compatible graphics/WWDM 2.x
One of the most significant changes to Windows’ system requirements for Windows 11 is that it is only available on 64-bit processors. Microsoft will not be releasing a 32-bit version of the OS, although 32-bit apps will continue to work properly. Microsoft clarified its minimum system requirements but also revealed a workaround for those who didn’t meet stated requirements. Users can install Windows 11 on any hardware using an ISO method, as long as the PC has a 64-bit 1GHz processor with two or more cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a TPM 1.2 chip.
Take Note: Users are warned that if they use the workaround to install Windows 11, the PC will be rendered unsupported, and might not allow access to Windows Update and security patches.
Android Apps on Windows 11
The access to Android apps won’t be available at the time of the October 5th launch. Microsoft is integrating Android apps with Windows 11 in partnership with Amazon and Intel, but this feature won’t be available on the announced date. A preview of Android apps on Windows 11 will be available for Windows Insiders in upcoming months, and insiders suggest that these features won’t be available to all Windows 11 users until sometime in 2022.
If your PC isn’t completely compatible with the new Windows 11, you can rest easy for a while – Microsoft will be providing Windows 10 support until October of 2025. The number of updates in store for Windows 10 in the next 4 years remains to be seen, but we do know that a 21H2 update for Windows 10 users will be here later this year. The 21H2 update includes GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Windows Hello improvements, and WPA3 H2E Wi-Fi security support.
New Features
The features which differentiate Windows 11 from Windows 10 include:
- a new user interface (UI) design, created to be simple to use and help productivity
- new functionality such as the new “Snap Navigator” menu that drops down from an app window’s maximize button and allows quick access to a predetermined set of grid layouts
- a new Chat app built right into the Taskbar, which permits file, text, and video sharing
- a new Start menu and Taskbar experience, with pinned and running apps centered by default.
- Notifications and Quick Actions are now split into two separate menus
- Quick Actions are now called Quick Settings
- a new out-of-box experience, lock screen, and modern File Explorer UI
- a new “Widgets” panel that features To Do, Calendar, Photos, and news from MSN.
In general, the new version is a more open system compared to Windows 10 and its predecessors.
If you are looking for more information about how Windows 11 can be implemented throughout your organization, call the team at Alliance IT today.
