FIRST look at Windows 11: Microsoft unveils ‘next generation’ operating system that will allow Android apps to run on the desktop for the first time
- Microsoft confirmed Windows 11 would include redesigned start menu and store
- It will also be able to run Android apps accessible through the Amazon store
- The firm took inspiration from the way people worked during the Covid crisis
- Saying the goal was to create a more personal environment for work and play
Microsoft has revealed its new Windows 11 operating system, designed to be a more personal environment for working, playing and connecting to others.
‘We learnt not just how functional and practical the PC needs to be, but that it also needs to be personal and feel emotional,’ said Panos Panay, chief product officer.
The tech giant said it took inspiration from the way people connected and used computers during the coronavirus pandemic to make the Windows environment more personal.
Windows 11 will hit markets toward the end of this year and is the first major revamp of the Microsoft operating system since 2015. It will be a free upgrade for users running Windows 10 until the middle of 2022.
The firm also confirmed that Android apps will run within Windows and be available through the Amazon app store, which will be available from the start menu.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: ‘The world needs a more open platform’ that gives users and developers the freedom to do and create what they want.
Microsoft has revealed its new Windows 11 operating system, designed to be a more personal environment for working, playing and connecting to others with a central start menu
‘We learnt not just how functional and practical the PC needs to be, but that it also needs to be personal and feel emotional,’ said Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer
Windows 11 will hit markets toward the end of this year and is the first major revamp of the Microsoft operating system since 2015. It will be a free upgrade for users running Windows 10 until the middle of 2022
Windows 11 will include a Chrome OS style centred star menu, a new look Windows store, XBox game passes and changes to the way you dock and load apps.
The software that turned Microsoft into a household name and dominated personal computers for years has been overtaken in popularity by devices using Apple and Google software, but it is still core to Microsoft’s strength in the corporate market.
And the upgraded operating system may also appeal to individuals, who have helped drive sales of PCs sharply higher over the past year due to work-from-home practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Microsoft said Windows 11 will include new features aimed at business users, specifically those who use it with an external monitor.
One new feature, for example, will automatically adjust apps to a single screen when users undock a machine to take a call in a quieter room and then readjust them when the user re-docks the machine.
Other features include ways to show recent files even when they have been viewed on a different device such as a phone.
Windows 11 will include a Chrome OS style centred star menu, a new look windows store, XBox game passes and changes to the way you dock and load apps
Microsoft said Windows 11 will include new features aimed a business users, specifically those who use it with an external monitor
The company recently cut commissions on games sold through the store to 12 per cent, lower than the 15 per cent it takes on regular apps, and has been a vocal critic of Apple App Store, which charges 30 per cent commissions.
Windows powered Microsoft’s rise in the 1990s as PCs became a fixture among businesses and consumers.
But the operating system took a back seat to Apple’s iOS, Android and Chrome OS in the consumer market in recent years – with mobile devices becoming the primary computing system for billions of users.
The software that turned Microsoft into a household name and dominated personal computers for years has been overtaken in popularity by devices using Apple and Google software, but it is still core to Microsoft’s strength in the corporate market
Windows powered Microsoft’s rise in the 1990s as PCs became a fixture among businesses and consumers
This may be behind the reason for Microsoft integrating Android apps into Windows, available through the start menu and task bar – highlighting TikTok during the event.
Windows 10, the most recent version, has 1.3 billion users, nearly as many as Apple’s device base of 1.65 billion users but less than half of Android’s 3 billion users.
Among PCs and laptops, Windows lost some market share in 2020 to Google’s Chromebooks as schools opted for cheaper devices for online learning but still retained greater than 80 per cent market share.
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