Windows 11 will officially begin to arrive on October 5, 2021. The announcement of a new version of Windows It was something that took us by surprise, because a long time ago Microsoft had been saying that Windows 10 would be the “last Windows” and it would simply become a service in constant update as it has been until now.
However, after throwing away the plans of a Windows 10X that was going to “modernize Windows” and focus on the cloud and hybrid devices, Microsoft turned around and decided to jump to Windows 11. It did so also talking about “visual rejuvenation radical “and” attention to detail. ” Nevertheless, the reality of the Windows 11 that we have is one that does not justify the jump too much, and these are some of the reasons why it is not necessary to contemplate updating, at least not immediately.
Windows 10 is not going to be without support
Nobody has to run worried from now on to move to a new Windows because the previous one is on the verge of death. Windows 10 will have official support until 2025And seeing how history has shown that Microsoft has to extend the support of its systems due to the usually high number of users who are left behind for years, it is not unreasonable to think that those four years could end up being more.
If you are not sure, or if your equipment is not even compatible, You have at least four years to think it over or to get a new computer.
Windows 10 will continue to receive new features
Windows 10 will not only not be without support for a long time, but it will also receive new features, although probably few and a bit trickle, that is, not very different from what has happened in the last couple of years with updates. semester of the system.
Along with the launch of Windows 11 will also come a new version of Windows 10: Windows 10 21H2 with its many improvements and news. Although as with Windows 11, not everyone will receive them at the same time, but gradually and in batches of users.
Windows 10 will also receive some of the key new features of Windows 11
Among the novelties that Windows 10 will receive are several of those that will arrive with the same Windows 11. We can count among the most outstanding the AutoHDR and DirectStorage that Microsoft included in its new video game consoles: Xbox Series X / S.
These are two features that significantly improve gaming performance, and help make the most of the speed of modern NVMe SSDs. Microsoft has also said that The new App Store is coming to Windows 10And although compatibility with Android apps probably won’t come as well, the new Microsoft Store already looks much, much better.
We do not know when or how these news will arrive, Microsoft has not given dates, but has said that some of them will be limited in Windows 10.
We won’t see Android apps yet
One of the great novelties with which Windows 11 was announced was the surprise that we could install Android applications natively, through the Amazon app store integrated directly into the Microsoft Store. However, nothing of that novelty, not even in the preliminary versions it has been seen.
Microsoft already confirmed that it will not be there yet, and this deprives the launch of Windows 11 of one of its most interesting news, and one that probably would have caused more interest in users for being something definitely new.
The “revolutionary” changes in design are not such
The design is undoubtedly one of the great selling points of this new Windows. The rounded edges have returned to (almost) everywhere, The Start Menu, File Explorer, Taskbar, Notification Center, virtual desktops, menus, icons, default apps have been redesignedThe color of the folders was even changed for the first time in many years.
Nevertheless, this is just the first coat of paint and the blemishes are very noticeable. That promised attention to detail is not exactly conspicuous by its presence, quite the contrary. Windows Explorer 11 is one such example, but it is by far the only one.
It is a system that lacks maturity
Design is the first thing that comes to mind with this, but it is not the only thing. Windows 11 seems to be in too much of a rush to debut without being quite ready. It is not the first time that this has happened with Windows, Windows 10 itself has gone through countless changes in its six years of life and it is perhaps currently when it feels more stable and mature than ever.
Windows 11 is starting, and although in some aspects it is an improved Windows 10, in others it is still a new system that has not finished fixing all the blocks. From the very launch they are already breaching promised characteristics, not the best signal that can be given.
Various of Windows 11 enhancements can be had in Windows 10 easily
While there are useful Windows 11 new things that Windows 10 just won’t get, they are largely not things that you can’t have in Windows 10 in some way. For example, one of my favorites is the new “smart layouts”.
This function is the one that now offers options to stack windows in different ways just by hovering the mouse pointer over the maximize button in a window. This is something you can get in Windows 10 with the same Microsoft PowerToys and with a lot more control.
Centering the Windows 10 taskbar buttons is very easy even without installing anything, and with third-party tools you can change the Start Menu for several. You can even return the rounded edges to your system with a simple app. We even have alternative versions of Windows Explorer with an excellent modern design.
The new default apps have little essentials
The apps that Windows 10 includes by default are not exactly the best. Microsoft itself knows that they leave a lot to be desired and were considering completely renovating them with Windows 11. However, so far the little we have received is a small coat of paint to make them look a little more consistent with the rest of the system.
Mail, Calendar, the Calculator, and Clippings have rounded edges and new icons, but so far. Photos is perhaps the app that changes the most and that does receive new functions, and the Clock now has the concentration sessions. Again, It is a good step but it is nothing revolutionary or that other apps do not make better.
You’re going to lose features that have been in Windows for years
Windows 11 also comes with some hard-to-explain shortcomings. For instance, the taskbar loses quite a few of its most useful functions. Not only is it not possible to drag a file to an application icon to open it quickly, but we cannot drag icons to pin, or move the bar to the right, left or up.
The context menu that appears in Windows 10 and earlier versions when you right click on the bar is also gone, and instead we have a single option to go to Settings. Microsoft is testing to bring some of those features back, but it’s something we won’t see until the next release.
Will be worth more in October 2022
It is precisely that next version that looks much better, but unlike Windows 10 that is updated every six months, Windows 11 will have an annual update model, so the addition of new features and the jump to a new version will not be seen until October 2022.
The Windows 11 of 2022 already looks better than the one of 2021
Most likely, it will be in 2022 when most of the initial problems are corrected, deficiencies are solved, the system gains maturity, and promised things such as Android app support will arrive. The Windows 11 of 2022 already looks better than the one of 2021, and given the little need to update, it may be better to wait a year.
The disadvantages of being early adopter
This is more true than ever today, when we are constantly offered the “privilege” of trying things out before they are ready. Developing software is sold to us with the promise of testing everything before anyone else, and we end up testing alphas, betas, and prerelease versions of apps, games, and full operating systems that don’t always leave a good taste in our mouths.
When you are enthusiastic it can be fun and even educational, but if you want to use your computer to do stuff and that’s it, This first version of Windows 11 doesn’t feel like a ready-made final product for now. Those of us who have been testing it since the beginning have been able to verify that in general it works as well as Windows 10, but there is little that justifies the jump, and some things are lost in the process.
I am currently using the version “release preview” or preview of the final version and we know that it is a version almost indistinguishable from what will be the release of October 5. Personally, I see no reason to return to Windows 10 having already updated, but if I had not done so, I would not see much the point of updating if I did not need to test the system and know as much as possible about it to write these lines.