You may have, or you may start hearing, about Windows 11, the latest version of the Microsoft Windows family.
Not that long ago, Microsoft said that Windows 10 “was the last major upgrade and that there would be no further Windows releases”.
And now we have a new Windows release!
So what exactly is Windows 11?
Windows 11 is really a cosmetic upgrade to the Windows 10 operating system. It will bring a new look with the start menu moving to a bar centred along the bottom, along with new features, widgets and easier integration with Microsoft Teams.
Most new devices will start to ship with Windows 11 pre-installed and ready to go, with the update released to existing devices over the coming months, into 2022.
The upgrade will be available as a free update to existing Windows 10 users, so there is no additional license cost. The upgrade will be offered automatically, although currently most devices may not meet the minimum hardware requirements.
So with only cosmetic and small functional changes planned, for now we can sit back and wait for the updates to start rolling out. Once we have access to a copy of Windows 11, we can help understand the changes and impact better, and advice.
Upgrade advice
Please do not try to upgrade to Windows 11 yet. There is no official release for current computers running Windows 10 and with little wide-spread use, we are unsure of the exact changes and stability of the Operating Systems. Windows 10 will continue to receive important security updates, which will be applied automatically, so in 2022 after greater visibility and testing of Windows 11, we will release information on preparing for the upgrade.
And finally
Microsoft have also reversed their decision on Windows 10 with the announcement that it will stop supporting it come 2025. From then all machines will need to be on at least Windows 11. So whilst there is no chance to hide from the update, we have a few years to accept and adopt.
But for now – please sit tight and wait.
