In the world of computers – and especially computer repair – it’s always great to have a new operating system come in. With Microsoft, even more so. The home computer software juggernaut has been hinting at some major developments to its OS as of late, and it seems like they’re working on the fabled “Windows 11” at their headquarters.
How do we know this? Well, it’s because Windows 11 was apparently leaked to the public prior to its unveiling later in June 2021. Yes, tech enthusiasts have been able to get their hands on an early build of Windows 11 somehow, and the results are fascinating.
Before we dive into what Windows 11 is all about, let’s talk a little about the backstory. Microsoft unleashed Windows 10 back in 2015 as the new operating system to tie all their devices together. Previous Windows owners were offered a free upgrade path to the new OS, a particularly uncharacteristic move for the company.
The new OS was made to be more powerful, more accessible, more integrated, and require fewer computer repairs. Microsoft ambitiously attempted to modify the code to work on mobile devices, ARM chips, and serve as more than just a desktop OS. However, all these efforts more or less flopped, and Windows 10 was stuck shackled to its primitive architecture more than it would have liked to be.
What makes this new Windows OS release shocking is that Microsoft famously said that Windows 10 would be the last numbered OS that they would be working on, and any updates would be pushed as “rolling releases,” meaning it would update over time. Yet now, they’re releasing a brand-new OS despite their previous claims. Why is that?
Well, one of the issues has to do with upgradability and repairability. Windows 10 was a system that had a lot of its roots set in the old ways of computing. Operating systems like Android, iOS, Mac, and even Linux were slowly evolving year on year, with a completely different focus on how to work. Windows however wasn’t able to keep up with the pace and needed far more work. Computer repairs were a lot more common, systems were unoptimized, privacy wasn’t as secure anymore, and the overall user experience had shifted dramatically.
That last part was something that Microsoft even acknowledged because, in recent years, it made several changes to the way its apps were presented. The default Microsoft Edge browser was heavily reworked for Windows 10, and the company’s new devices were purported to work on Windows 10X, a more streamlined version of the OS. It seems that all these changes were slowly paving the way to a new version of Windows all along.
Now, what’s new with Windows 11? Well, from what people have learned so far, the out-of-box-experience (OOBE) has been completely revamped, and the interface now has a couple more changes to it. Instead of your traditional taskbar, we have something that is more akin to the one seen on Windows 10X – a white taskbar with all the icons lined up in the middle, and the Start button now opening an app drawer featuring recommended apps and files. The design language now features a lot of rounded corners on windows, similar to the recent Big Sur offering from MacOS, new icons in the File Explorer, a new Widgets panel, and a general feeling of basically using a Mac. There’s a lot more fluidity to the OS and its many parts that look pleasant.
But how does it run? Well, it seems there isn’t a lot of change from Windows 10 as it is currently under the hood. Most of the settings seem to be the same, and a lot of the native Windows 10 applications that have been tested seemed to work without a hitch at all. Judging from the rumors of a revamped Windows Store and the recent release of the Windows Package Manager, we might be looking at a new way to install and use apps on the OS. However, keeping in mind that this is a leaked build and not a complete developer preview, there might be some changes that haven’t been implemented yet.
For computer repair shops, this means that they will have a completely new generation of Windows devices to fix and repair. Luckily, from what we’re seeing so far, the new OS is very similar to Windows 10 and seems to have all the app compatibility of its predecessor. That means that any tools that can help you on Windows 10 would very well be working on Windows 11. If you have an existing computer repair shop software, it could definitely run on Windows 11, no problem. As for native tools that Microsoft will be bundling into the system, we’ll just have to see what they are and how they can be used.
Microsoft has been extremely tight-lipped about their new OS, but this leak not only confirms the company’s secret, but also sheds light on how it actually works. It may be that the cat is out of the bag for the Redmond company, but if it’s anything like we’re seeing currently, there’s plenty more to look forward to.
