Windows 11 — Features and System Requirements: The Features
All you need to know about the latest Microsoft software
The future is here. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Windows 11, the start of a new chapter in Microsoft’s life. After 6 long years, Microsoft is finally releasing a new operating system — the successor of Windows 10. This new operating system hits a little closer to home for me, having been a Windows user for basically my entire life. Although Windows 11 is not to be released for public usage till late 2021, the Microsoft event on 24th June described all of the new features of new version of Windows. I was really excited for this release and I attended that event with high hopes. I was not disappointed. In this set of two articles, I will introduce you to the new features of Windows 11, and how to check if your system is compatible with it.
Windows 11 has a bunch of new features to create a better user interface for developers, gamers and the common man alike. From an expansive Microsoft Store to a brilliant gaming experience on PCs, Windows 11 has it all. For those of you who missed the event, or just want a brief of the new operating system, this is where you can learn about all the new features of Windows 11.
Design:
Design is the main difference that you can see when you compare Windows 10 and 11. Apart from a new logo, on Windows 11, the traditional taskbar that started at the bottom left corner has now been shifted to the center. So, when you click on the start button, the start menu will now appear in the center of your screen, rather than on the side. The Start menu has now removed the famous live tiles of Windows 10 as well.
The Settings app has also got a new look (it actually looks really nice now!). Another difference that Microsoft has introduced is that all the applications now have rounded corners. It makes the applications look a bit more pleasant to us all. Microsoft has also introduced a few new themes and have added onto the concept of multiple desktops. If you want to try out the multiple desktops feature on Windows 10, click ‘Win+Tab’ and then select ‘+New Desktop’ at the top of the screen.
Just like that, you can separate the different parts of your life on different computer screens. On Windows 11, this feature has been enhanced by allowing users to apply different wallpapers on different desktops along with many other features. What more can you want?
Multitasking:
Imagine this scenario: you are viewing a word document on your phone, and you want to switch to your laptop to edit. Windows 11 can do that for you. With just two clicks, you can continue your work on you laptop. Click the start menu and you will see your document in the recommended section and you can click on that to continue where you left off. Ever had the problem of arranging multiple windows on your screen for ease of use? Restoring down and adjusting the size of the windows can be annoying at times. Not anymore. With the new Snap Layouts feature on Windows 11, you can restore down to any size you want, and seamlessly arrange the other windows at the side however you want, to increase productivity.
If you’re using a monitor and you need to step away with your laptop for a moment, Windows 11 will automatically adjust the applications on your monitor screen to the size of your laptop’s screen. And when you connect back to the monitor, the same applications open up again. This is called Snap Groups. You can choose to restore individual apps, or even projects at a time. And all of them are just sitting right on your taskbar. Incredible right? On browsers, if you have multiple tabs open, you can’t really see what all the tabs show. Introducing vertical tabs. By switching to the vertical layout, you can now see what all the tabs show easily.
Microsoft Teams:
In this pandemic, we are not able to meet anybody personally. Everything is online. Windows 11 now makes this easier. Microsoft Teams is Microsoft’s very own communication app. Teams has now been integrated into Windows, right in the middle of the taskbar. With one click, you can now connect with anybody.
Connecting with people has never been easier and Windows 11 now helps you easily keep in touch with the people you love.
Windows Widgets:
This is an absolutely new feature introduced by Microsoft on Windows 11. A completely personalized feed giving you the most important information in a second. Pull it from the side of your screen to get bits of information whenever you want, without losing what you were doing before. You can also access it with a button on the taskbar.
Weather, news, you name it. Completely personalized and right in front of you with a single click. The widgets adapt to you, especially the news ones, just to deliver curated content that would appeal to you as a user.
Adaptability, flexibility and versatility:
With a 2 in 1 laptop, it sometimes gets difficult to use your laptop in tablet mode as the icons are all squeezed together. But with Windows 11, the icons automatically spread out, so you do not need to adapt to it again. Instead of you adapting to Windows, Windows adapts to you. Editing with a pen is a whole new feeling now. The touch keyboard has now been enhanced to be more like a phone or tablet keyboard. Windows 11 also has a brilliant speech-to-text software that is as good as the one on your phones, if not better. Windows widgets also helps keep you less dependent on you phone to check the weather or news, just because it’s easier. Movies on Windows 11 are much more better now. You can access many different movies right in the Microsoft Store and easily project them to a TV screen if you want a bigger view. This is precisely how Windows 11 now adapts to you.
Gaming experience:
Who doesn’t love gaming, am I right? While many people around the globe prefer to use consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, there are still many people who play games on their PCs. Windows 11 is the perfect gaming operating system for them. Apart from the enhanced desktop feature, Windows 11 offers a lot in the gaming sector. Windows 11 offers superior graphics, much faster speeds, and a diverse range of games. Windows 11 uses auto HDR to give users with the brilliant graphics for the perfect gaming experience. With auto HDR, games look better than ever before.
You can clearly see the difference over here. Windows 11 has now introduced the direct storage concept, already present on Xbox Series X and S, into the PC. Games now load faster than ever without slowing down the CPU. These spectacular speeds, when coupled with the broad range of games present on the Xbox game pass, offer the best gaming experience anybody could ask for. The Xbox game pass gives you access to so many games for just a nominal monthly fee. You can play these games seamlessly online with people across the globe. These games can also be easily bought on the Xbox app.
Microsoft Store:
The Microsoft Store has been completely changed on Windows 11. And I mean completely. Movies can now be obtained through the Microsoft Store so that anybody can watch them. Forget opening a browser and searching for a movie on multiple websites. The Microsoft Store has it all there for you. The Store also now features a much wider selection of apps thanks to the integration of Android apps onto the PC with the help of the Amazon app store. Get almost any of your favorite apps on your Android mobile phone straight onto your PC. Simply incredible. The Microsoft Store also provides the perfect platform for developers to host their content for the public to use. And Microsoft takes no fee for hosting their apps. This allows the developers to bring any technology that they develop straight to the store without losing anything. The Microsoft Store now provides the latest, safest, and best platform for developers and users alike.
Well that’s Windows 11! A completely new operating system, built on the previous Windows 10 to provide a brilliant platform for you all users to use. This new operating system is simply brilliant. In the next article, we will have a look at the system requirements your computer needs to have to support Windows 11.
