Page 87 - IBT August 2021 Issue

Tech
With the official unveiling of the new successor of
the operating system, it’s time to delve into the full
scope of the update. Years ago, Microsoft had
promised that Windows 10 would be the last
version of Windows, to be only augmented further
by incremental updates. This begs the question,
what makes Windows 11 worth the big bang
release? It’s time for the full scoop.
To start right off the bat with the most obvious,
Windows 11 is built on the same core architecture
as its predecessor, but with a whole new look and
change in user experience.
The first thing you are going to notice as the new
OS boots up is the change in the Start Menu and
taskbar. The Start Menu takes the center stage,
literally, now being in the middle of the taskbar
along with the other icons, following the design
language of macOS and ChromeOS. This comes
across as a welcome change, having a clean
aesthetic appeal. However, a big concern for many
users will be the inconvenience of muscle memory
from decades of moving to the lower-left corner to
reach the Start menu, (I can already foresee the
messages on the forums and Reddit) but to Gamers can rejoice at the knowledge
alleviate their concerns, Microsoft has thrown in that there are some game-specific
the ability to revert back to the side layout. The bad
news though, is that the taskbar can no longer be features that come with Windows 11,
pinned to any of the sides of the screen and need to
stay at the bottom only.
File explorer retains most of its arrangement, with for much faster loading of games
the three panes still remaining intact, but the from the graphics cards.
ribbons and shortcut menus do get a design refresh,
making them much easier to look at. Clicking on
the Start Menu previously displayed the list of
programs installed on the computer, along with the
live tiles, weather, and some Microsoft apps. Now it
primarily shows the apps that have been pinned by
the user, with the search bar to help locate the apps
used less frequently. Another nifty but amazing
addition is the recommendations option, which
displays the recent documents or projects, which
makes the overall experience a lot more personal
and, of course, convenient. This may come across
as nitpicking, but this seems more of a feature that
should be in the Search Menu rather than the Start
Menu. Speaking of search, the button is no longer a
giant horizontal box sticking out like a sore thumb,
rather a small icon that just blends in rather
beautifully. These little changes show a very
user-friendly and appealing design thinking from
Microsoft, which is highly likely to resonate
positively with the users.
It’s time to bid Cortana goodbye from the built-in
app section of Windows 11, although it is unclear
how much grief her passing will generate, for those
who will be hit the hardest, they can always
download it back from the store.
Windows 11
Improved multitasking
with Snap Desktop
It remains a mystery who liked the whole scruffy
process of dragging and dropping apps on the
desktop to view multiple windows simultaneously,
but that has been improved by a lot. Windows 11
has introduced a tiling template option that gives
users the option to now view and arrange three to
four windows in preset positions. This sweet little
feature allows seamless snapping and also
restoration of app windows with just one click.
Multi-monitor support has also improved
significantly. Remember how haphazardly all the
apps and software get scattered on one screen when
external/additional monitors are disconnected? In
Windows 11, all those apps are quietly minimized
instead, instantly returning to their previous states
when reconnected to the external monitor. While
this may seem trivial, it is indeed a subtly brilliant
tweak to the user experience.
makes it easier to find apps and movies, which plethora of other little-used apps that are being removed, but
are not available on the Windows 10 store. The they are still available on the store.
Microsoft Store is now home to many more Gamers can rejoice at the knowledge that there are some
such as Auto HDR and Direct Storage native apps like Zoom, Adobe Creative Cloud game-specific features that come with Windows 11, such as
etc., along with mobile apps, which still utilize Auto HDR and Direct Storage for much faster loading of games
the vertical layout, as they have not been from the graphics cards.
optimized for computers yet. All this being rainbows and butterflies, Microsoft has sadly
also left some archaic bits and pieces among the layers of the
Task View and Widgets new OS, some of which date back to nearly a decade. These
Teams Chat integration Another great addition to Windows 11 is Task little tidbits can be found in the Control Panel and network
View. For users who want to separate their wizards, to mention a few, but thankfully most users would
With remote work becoming more and more virtual desktops for different purposes, things not encounter them in everyday use.
prevalent worldwide, Microsoft Teams has seen a have never been more convenient. There can be With all this said, what about the actual update process?
surge in users, replacing the likes of Zoom, Skype, a work desktop, a gaming one, and so on for Just like the upgrades that came before this, Windows 11 is
and Slack. Windows 11 has decided to bring its any purpose needed by the user. The new also free for Windows 10. But before getting too excited,
native communication app to the forefront, with widgets come off more as gimmicks than there’s a catch. The update requires the computer to pass
options to chat and call being integrated into the anything else, they are still limited to weather Microsoft’s PC Health Check App and also requires a hardware
main taskbar. This makes quick messaging a breeze, conditions, money markets and news updates. feature called TPM 2.0, which is missing in older hardware. At
even allowing calls to be made directly to video or Microsoft might be trying to oversell this a the time being, the update is in its beta phase and anyone
audio to iOS and Android devices, regardless of little. opting into it (through the Windows Insider Program) will
whether the other party has the app installed or not. definitely be faced with a lot of bugs, and it is strongly
Installation recommended for enthusiasts to wait till the stable version
Android apps...on Windows? Most of the highlights so far have been the big comes on. This along with the fact that Windows 10 will
One of the biggest changes that came to Windows differences between the two builds, but there continue receiving support for four more years is definitely
11 is the Windows Subsystem for Android, which are also some minor changes lurking around good news.
brings native support for Android apps to Windows. for those who want to be completely in the
Android apps can be installed from the Amazon App know about making the jump to Windows 11. The final verdict
Store, or sideloaded from installer packages. The Some features from Windows 10 have actually Windows 11 is probably the best looking Windows to hit the
addition of native Android app support makes the been removed in Windows 11, such as market, with sweet upgrades to the overall UI/UX more than
list of available apps for Windows an even bigger inter-device wallpaper sync, Internet Explorer welcome, along with window management features taking a
one. The Microsoft Store itself also gets a design (well, alright, about time), and apps like leap towards the better. A solid update, yes, but the changes
rehaul that makes its interface much cleaner and OneNote for Windows 10, Skype, 3D Viewer, are (still) not significant enough to induce any fear of missing
vastly more coherent. The newly designed store also and even essentials like Paint! There are a out just yet for existing users of Windows 10.
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