I personally eagerly awaited for the Windows 11 event. After the leaks came out I tried to stay away but I eventually caved in and took a look on the Verge. I had mixed feelings about what I saw. I did not hold anything from the screenshots and videos that had leaked I just waited for the event to happen.

From the onset, the live event started much like an apple event would start but it felt forced. It really felt like they created this event to try and be better than Apple. These were just my first impressions. I realize I had set myself up to get disappointed by having so many expectations of this new Windows Operating System.

I loved the intro video, I was excited by the new look, it is an upgrade from the previous look, and the features they previewed only added to my expectations. I’ll say the one thing I rolled my eyes on was the android apps on Windows. Thinking about it now it probably makes sense for tablets running Windows 11. I just wonder how it will work, more on that later.

Design

The design is a much-needed update for sure. I am going to say it again though, the way they talked about the design felt a bit Apple-ly, but I think all the tech companies have gone this direction to try and sell more by appealing to our feelings and emotions, which for the most part works.

The new start menu? Yeah its… good. Not that I was expecting anything in particular but its not “revolutionary” but it works. Like most things that work really well, simplicity is the best way to go. Having access to your most recent files via the recommended section of the start menu, is a no brainer. This you wont see on MacOS, well, its there but Windows 11 does it in a better way, I think, I will see how this all works when I get my hands on it.

Task switching or app switching or let’s call it the windows management is really cool. I can see myself using this a lot. Screen real estate is always a pain point, especially when you are working with limited space. Even with more screens, the fact that you can manage your screens so easily is very welcome. Windows 11 remembers your screen layouts which is another well-done feature. The multiple desktops can also help those of us who are that organized but for me, I don’t see myself using it a lot because I am just not that great at multi-tasking. even on my Macbook pro I rarely use more than 2 desktops, but that’s just me.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is now fully integrated on Windows 11, which is good. I couldn’t help notice that it looks more social than business though. They talked about connecting with your family on teams. Can you see how that last sentence doesn’t make sense? I mean it’s Microsoft Teams, you would think they would have targeted their business clients. Even the video that they showed was kinda off, I don’t know I just think they would have made it more of a work app than a family app. What happened to Skype by the way, anyway… moving on.

Windows without a keyboard yada yada yada. I don’t know I’d have to try it out I guess. I’m sure the surface devices are great but I am just not sure how many people use these touch features for actual work. The pen will definitely help but for a select few I think. Look I’m not going to spend too much time here, these are features that are good to have and would do more harm to the usability if they weren’t there.

Gaming on Windows 11

Besides mobile phones, Windows is big on gaming without a doubt. So I am sure they invested a lot here. The Auto HDR feature could be a really amazing enhancement tool for the OS. Considering that Xbox is another big platform owned by the same company it makes sense that windows be on the same level and share features. Xbox Gamepass through the Xbox app will be available on Windows 11 which means you will have access to a huge selection of titles and you will even get them the day of release. No surprises here, the new features are gamer-friendly, we all know you are either a console gamer or a Windows gamer.

Android apps on windows

This sounds great. it makes sense for some apps, I suspect it will have the same problems as the iPhone and iPad apps on macOS. Using your cursor instead of your finger is a completely different experience. This is one of those features that might eventually make sense in the future when the input methods are hammered out. It’s still too early I guess. You install these android apps through the Amazon App store, which means you have to be logged in to your Microsoft account and your Amazon account to download these apps. This will only be a requirement for the first time you want to download an android app on Windows 11. A Friend of mine pointed out that they probably wouldn’t be able to get Google to sign a deal with them so it’s almost like they didn’t have a choice. It all remains to be seen. If people will be able to use their android phones and pick up from where they left off on Windows 11, it will all make sense.

Final Thoughts

So Windows 11? I say it’s a welcome change and logical progression of the OS. There are features that I hope will evolve as more people use Windows 11. One thing is for sure though, the people who use Windows daily will not have too much to complain about here. It’s easy to think that tech these days has slowed down, we miss the wow factor of completely new features that blow us away, in this case, the little advancements will make sense over time and they will work better without breaking the system. It’s the way everything will be built going forward and I think this method can produce better products that will help s do more in our day-to-day lives.