Windows 11: What’s New?
Some may remember that Windows 10 was dubbed as “The last version of Windows” back in 2015. However it was recently announced the release of a new version of their computer operating system, Windows 11 which was officially launched in October 2021. The upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is free! Also in case you’re still hesitant about immediately upgrading, Windows 10 will still be officially supported by Microsoft until 2025.
So what about Windows 11 is changing from the old version?
First of all, the visuals look glossier and rounder, giving a similar look to MacOS, the Windows taskbar is even centred by default. Microsoft has also tweaked things to make user input and the overall feel of the system more snappy and accurate, including those who use Windows on a tablet or mobile device. Widgets have also been added back as a separate Window similar to what a smartphone would have, making it easier for users to keep up to date with current information. Likewise, android apps will be available in the Microsoft store through Amazon, which will now run on Windows natively with no emulation required. Windows 11 also has some new performance features such as auto HDR which will be automatically applied to hundreds of games without the user or developers needing to do anything. Another perk for gamers that comes with Windows 11 is direct storage. As the name implies, it allows the GPU in your computer to directly access data from an NVME storage drive instead of through your CPU, which should significantly cut down on loading times in games.
Microsoft says that the updates to the operating system are now 40% smaller, and it will only get 1 major update a year instead of the usual 2. Although this means users won’t be getting as many new features as often, hopefully you won’t get interrupted as often or your machine will have less unexpected downtime.
System Requirements will be Harsher
Windows 11 will also have very similar system requirements to its predecessor Windows 10, with the latter just requiring a little bit more RAM and storage. However, the one thing that has been a topic of discussion is the requirement of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), that Windows 11 will need. A TPM chip is responsible for some PC encryption features. It essentially generates and stores encryption keys to keep your data secure. Windows uses the TPM to encrypt devices like your entire drive, then the TPM will provide the key when you turn on the computer to access your data. This is helpful since it allows the drive to be secure even outside the computer. For instance, if somebody stole your drive and tried to access your data using another computer, they would also need the encryption key stored on your TPM to retrieve your data. Another advantage of the TPM is that they can store other types of keys, certificates, and other sensitive data from possibly malicious applications instead of being stored in system memory where they are more susceptible to malware attacks. Possible reasons as for why a TPM is required by Windows 11 is likely due to the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks, and Microsoft not wanting Windows to be associated with poor security.
You might be wondering if you even have a TPM installed in your system, and the answer is that most recent systems will likely already have a pre-installed TPM in their CPU’s, called firmware TPM’s (fTPM). You can easily do a quick Google search to determine if your computer has one. Although the officially listed requirement for your TPM is version 2.0, Microsoft has seemed to suggest that systems with the older TPM version 1.2 may still be eligible to upgrade to Windows 11, however it is not advised. If you’re considering upgrading to Windows 11, make sure that the TPM is enabled in your BIOS so Windows 11 can detect it, as there have been reports of system requirement tests failing due to this.
Conclusion
Whether you like the changes or not, Windows 11 is here and will replace Windows 10. On the bright side, even if you are not a fan of the new look and feel of this update you will have until 2025 to keep using Windows 10 securely. Who knows? Maybe by then Windows 11 will have grown on you, but even if it has not, continuing to use the outdated Windows 10 or switching to MacOS or Linux will be a decision you will have to make.
