Windows 11 was just announced by Microsoft in August of this year, and the upgrade will begin rolling out to compatible devices tomorrow. However, given that the OS is still in its early stages, should you be an early adopter and update on day one?
Windows 11 is Microsoft’s most secure operating system for PCs ever, including significant technologies such as virtualization-based security (VBS). However, studies show that VBS may degrade your system’s performance, especially if you’re a gamer. Let’s look at the pros and cons of Windows 11 to understand whether you should install it on your PCs.
Reasons to Install Windows 11
Windows 11 isn’t simply Windows 10 with a new set of wallpapers. Fortunately, numerous additional adjustments and enhancements make upgrading to the newest OS appear appealing. Having said that, the new OS’s backgrounds are stunning!
1. Bar to Dock
Windows 11’s taskbar, like Mac OS and several Linux Desktop Environments, may be converted into a dock. It allows you to center the icons on it, which is useful when using Windows 11 on a touch-enabled device. Fans of the traditional taskbar will be able to keep the Start button and app icons to the left.
2. Widgets Make a Comeback
Did you prefer widgets- the little floating informative windows in Windows Vista and 7- to Windows 10’s Live Tiles? In Windows 11, the new widgets show in a separate pane that slides in from the left side of the screen. They also appear to be more oriented toward displaying information than acting as mini-apps.
3. Snap Layouts and Groups are easily accessible.
In primitive configurations, Windows already allowed snapping windows to the edges or corners of the screen. Originally “stolen” from other operating systems, the functionality was developed beyond that with Windows PowerToys’ FancyZones feature. The function is now available to everyone in Windows 11, thanks to a new and better version that places it in a fast menu that lingers over the expand button.
4. Apps for Android on Windows 11
In Windows 10 and below, you can either remotely manage your device or use a simulator to run an Android app or game. Android app compatibility will be built into Windows 11. In theory, you should be able to install nearly any Android application and game, click on it, and it should appear on the screen. This is similar to native Windows applications.
5. Next-Generation Gaming
One of the most talked-about aspects of the new Xbox and PlayStation is the way their CPU, GPU, and storage subsystems are linked. For PCs, the counterpart is DirectStorage.
DirectStorage is likely to result in huge speed gains for apps that deal with enormous volumes of data in the future. Typically, this translates to “games.” Auto HDR is also making the switch from the most recent Xbox systems to PCs. It can improve the appearance of retro titles by automatically increasing their brightness levels, making use of the whole brightness range of current monitors.
Why Should I NOT Upgrade to Windows 11?
Not everything about Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows version is pleasant. Many modifications and adjustments may seem dubious to you, which is reason enough to remain with Windows 10.
1. Desktop Acceleration
Finding a new GPU at a fair price is nearly difficult due to current hardware shortages. As a result, many people have put off upgrading their GPU until the far future. For those interested in Windows 11, this future may not be so far away, since Microsoft’s next operating system demands a GPU that is at least DirectX 12 compliant, as well as a WDDM 2.0 driver.
2. No Skype App
Skype was the first program to make peer-to-peer video calling mainstream. Today, Skype appears to be lost in a sea of comparable and, at times, superior video calling competitors. That’s presumably why, in its introduction of Windows 11, Microsoft almost completely replaced it with Teams.
3. Minimal Taskbar
Based on what we know so far, Windows 11’s taskbar may look beautiful, but it’s a step back in terms of usefulness. The option to move the taskbar to either side of the screen is no longer available. It is now stuck at the bottom of the screen. Similarly, middle-clicking an icon no longer launches new instances of already-running applications.
4. Timeline Ignored
Do you recall when Microsoft introduced Timeline as another visual method to remain organized? The calendar could then show the programs and documents we accessed, the websites we accessed, and so on in a sequential manner, keeping track of how we utilize the computer. On paper, it was a fine idea, but it was rarely implemented. If you loved it, remain with Windows 10, because Timeline is no longer available in Windows 11.
5. Goodbye, Cortana.
Cortana is Microsoft’s take on artificial intelligence-powered assistants, such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, with which you communicate by speech.
However, as Cortana is no longer built into the operating system, it may be fairer to state “was.” Nonetheless, you will be able to download and install it on your PC.
6. More Delays, Fewer Layouts
With Windows 11, you can easily snap any window to the screen using predefined window configurations. You could, however, build your own layouts if you installed Microsoft’s PowerToys on Windows 10. It wasn’t as simple, but it was far more adaptable.
One way to snap Windows is to hover the mouse over the window’s expand button. “Hovering the cursor” means keeping it steady over a desktop element and waiting for the operating system to identify that you want to open the layout’s fast pop-up. This “waiting” may not be as lengthy as pressing a hotkey or clicking on a hotspot on the screen, but it does take longer.
7. Running Windows 11 is Complicated
The main disadvantage of Windows 11 is that you might not be able to run it. Even if you have a GPU capable of speeding its brand-new desktop, the rest of your PC may be inadequate.
Microsoft believes that great experiences require amazing hardware. Windows 11 demands relatively fresh, contemporary PCs because it is a new, modern operating system.
You’re out of luck if your PC’s CPU is older than Intel’s 7th generation Core or AMD’s Zen 2 CPUs. The main issue appears to be TPM 2.0 compatibility. TPM modules are found in most laptops and many prebuilt PCs, although they are not found in most DIY PCs. And, without TPM 2.0 support, there will be no Windows 11.
Should I Install it?
The first significant Windows 11 upgrade. If Microsoft follows the same pattern as it did with Windows 10, the first major upgrade to Windows 11 would most certainly arrive next spring.
The developers will have more time to incorporate hundreds of bug fixes if they wait for the first major release. More significantly, by then, Microsoft will presumably have restored standard Windows functions that appear to be missing for no apparent reason. Other beloved features, such as the option to shift the taskbar to the left or right edge of the screen, are absent, as are some vexing lacking shortcuts, such as the inability to right-click the taskbar to start the task manager. The new Start menu appears to have limited customizable features.
Given the ongoing uncertainty about Windows 11’s system requirements, a few additional months of development on its first major upgrade will most likely offer the OS like it should have debuted.
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