Windows 11 is the 40th Microsoft’s Operating System for Desktop Computers and Laptops.
It has been classified under Windows NT operating system series.
The Operating System is written in C, C++, C#, and Assembly language.
Some of its components are open source while others are closed and shared source.
It has Windows Shell – Graphical User Interface.
The operating system is going to be officially released for general users on October 5, 2021, in 110 languages.
Currently, it is available only for Windows Insiders.
How did Windows 11 come into the Picture?
At Microsoft Ignite Conference 2015, a Microsoft Employee named Jerry Nixon said, “Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows”.
The last version doesn’t mean Microsoft will not release any further patches for Windows. Instead, it means, Microsoft will not release any further version of Windows. For Example, Windows 11.
After Jerry’s statement we were chilled to know that Microsoft isn’t going to release new versions of Windows in Future. But soon our chillness turned into a speculation when Microsoft posted a Job requirement for Visual Rejuvenation of Windows. However, later the company removed the words that says “Visual Rejuvenation of Windows” from the job listing. The Job needs a Senior Software Engineer at Redmond, Washington whose role is to build great user-experience for Windows.
Thereafter, at Microsoft Build 2021, the company CEO, Satya Nadella teased the existence of a new Windows. But it wasn’t named that time.
In just a week after the company CEO teased the existence of a new Windows, Microsoft starts sending invitations for Windows Media Event that is scheduled on June 24, 2021. In the same virtual event, the Chief Product Officer of the company, Panos Panay officially announced Windows 11.
So, this is How Windows 11 came into the picture.
The History of Windows 11 Release
The name Windows 11 first became public in early June once spotted in a Microsoft Azure documentation on GitHub.
Thereafter, the screenshots of the OS interface became public on different sites such as Baidu once its ISO leaked.
And, Lastly, on June 28, Microsoft released the first preview build of Windows 11 for Windows Insiders.
On August 31, 2021, the company announced Windows 11 is going to be released on October 5, 2021.
What are the eligibility criteria to get Windows 11?
On October 5, 2021, Microsoft is officially releasing the Windows 11 operating system.
However, the release would be processed in a phased manner.
That means the newer eligible devices will be upgraded first.
The company is expecting to complete rolling out Windows 11 to all the eligible devices till mid of 2022.
Now, you might be thinking what the minimum system requirement is to become eligible to get Windows 11.
What are the Minimum System Requirements to setup Windows 11?
- A compatible 64-bit x86-64 or ARM64 architecture processor that has at least 2 cores with 1GHz clock rate.
- At least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space.
- The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.
- Any Graphics card that is compatible with DirectX12 or later with Windows Display Driver Model version 2.
- High Definition 720p Display
- Internet Connection and a Microsoft account for setting up the Windows for the first time.
The Minimum System Requirement is an Illusion
Microsoft has increased the minimum system requirements to install Windows 11 as Windows 10 requires only 2GB of RAM and 20GB of Hard disk space to install its 64-bit version.
Despite the minimum system requirement, some people can install Windows 11 on legacy BIOS and without TPM 2 by editing the installation media.
List of Processors that Supports Windows 11
As of August 2021, below is the list of processors that will support Windows 11.
- Intel Core 8th Generation and later
- AMD Zen+ and later
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 and later
- Intel Core i7-7820HQ0
How to get Windows 11?
There are three ways users will get the stable build of Windows 11.
- Windows Update
- Microsoft Store
- Windows Server Update
How to Download and Install Windows 11 right now?
If you want to download and install Windows 11 right now, you must be enrolled in the Windows Insider Program.
To enrol yourself in Windows Insider Program, make sure you have a Microsoft account. It doesn’t matter if it is a Microsoft business account. Next visit this link and click on the register button.
Once you click on the register button, it asks you to sign into your Microsoft account.
After sign into your Microsoft account, it asks you to accept the licence agreement. Accept it by checking the box and then, click on the Register Now button.
Thereafter, click on the flight now button to start installing Windows Insider Preview build.
Now, open your Windows device and go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and click on the Get Started.
Next, pick an account and follow the directions present on your screen.
Paste this: ms-settings:windowsinsider in your browser URL and press enter to directly open Windows Insider Program in your Windows machine.
Now, once you enroll yourself in the Windows Insider Program, you will see an update to Windows 11 in your Windows updates section.
Complete the update to install Windows 11 insider in your machine.
What’s new in Windows 11?
Centered Start Menu
The very first visual difference that you can notice in between Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the Centered Start Menu with rounded corners.
Using the power of cloud and Microsoft 365, the new start menu in Windows 11 shows you the recent files you were earlier working on, even on your other devices such as iOS and Android.
In addition to the start menu, Windows 11 has also changed the taskbar, font, icon, and sound.
Snap Layouts and Snap Groups
To help you multitask, Microsoft introduced the concept of Multiple Windows in Windows 10. In Windows 11, Microsoft has extended the same functionality by bringing the Snap Layouts and Snap Groups.
You can customize Windows 11 desktop as per your need. Imagine in a single system you can configure different desktops for your work, gaming, or school.
Chats from Microsoft Teams Integrated into Windows 11 Taskbar
To help you easily send text and place voice and video calls to your contacts, Microsoft has integrated the Chat from Microsoft Teams directly into the Taskbar in Windows 11.
Why is Windows 11 one of the best OS for Gaming?
Windows 11 is one of the best OS for gamers as it has brought three important things.
- Auto HDR
- DirectStorage technology
- XBox Game Pass
Auto HDR
With Auto HDR, Windows 11 adds High Dynamic Range to the games built on DirectX 11 or higher versions.
The result is, Games on Windows 11 get more brightness, colour, and depth.
Auto HDR has already been part of Xbox Series X and S consoles. Looking at its positive response from the gamers, Microsoft has introduced this technology in Windows 11 too.
DirectStorage Technology
The DirectStorage technology allows Windows 11 users to quickly load the game assets to the system’s graphics card. However, to use this technology, users need high performance NVMe SSD and proper drivers.
Windows 11 supports a wide range of gaming hardwares. For example, Xbox wireless controller, Mechanical Keyboards, Gaming Mouse, Xbox Adaptive controller, Headsets, External GPU and more.
Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is a membership that contains a library of games.
Here is the list of 17 games that are part of Xbox Game Pass 2021.
- Yakuza like a dragon
- D&D Dark Alliance
- The Ascent
- Hades
- Twelve Minutes
- Anacrusis
- Scorn
- Back 4 Blood
- Shredders
- Among Us
- Hello Neighbour 2
- The Gunk
- Flight Simulator
- Psychonauts 2
- Halo Infinite
- Age of Empires IV
- Forza Horizon 5
In order to make Windows 11 one of the best OS for gaming, Microsoft created Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Microsoft has integrated the Xbox App into Windows 11 through which users can easily access Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass for PC includes:
- PC games from Xbox Game Studios
- Bethesda
- EA Play Membership
In addition to Xbox Game Pass, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Cloud Gaming on Windows PC via browser. That means even entry level devices are also able to play Xbox console titles. Microsoft has recently announced that they are adding their cloud gaming services into the Xbox app for PC.
New Microsoft Store
Back in 2012, Microsoft introduced an App Store in Windows 8 to list Universal Windows Platform apps.
Later, it changed its name to Microsoft store that contains apps, games, videos, music, and e-books.
In Windows 11, Microsoft has fully redesigned its app store.
The new Microsoft store has popular apps like Tiktok, Zoom, Adobe Creative Cloud, Disney+, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Visual Studio, Notepad, Paint, and more.
Similar to Google Play Store, the new Microsoft store curates best apps along with their stories to help users inform about them.
This is the first time Microsoft is listing Android Apps in its store from the Amazon Appstore.
Earlier, if a user finds an app on the web, then they have to visit the Microsoft store to install it. But, the new Microsoft store has brought a popup option that lets users easily install an app without visiting the store.
Developers can now publish the below list of app frameworks on Microsoft store.
- Win32
- .NET
- UWP
- Xamarin
- Electron
- React Native
- Java
- PWA
Windows 11 Release Date
Windows 11 is all set to release globally on October 5, 2021. Initially while the OS will release, it will not support Android apps, but it will soon afterwards. That means, we will be able to use our Android Apps on our Windows 11 PC.
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