Windows 11: A Window to Future?

During their reveal, it was clear that Microsoft wanted to bring “futurism” to their OS, but still keep it familiar. And with Windows 11, they delivered. Well, kind of. To say at most, Windows 11 feels like a work in progress and is on its way to being a rather pretty-good OS.
Keeping aside all of that, here are some positives and negatives about this new familiar yet different OS.

The Positives

Once you upgrade to Windows 11, you will notice the new design and UI immediately. Taking cues from Mac OS, Chrome OS, and even Android and iOS, it feels easier on the eyes.

Rounded corners are everywhere you see, giving it a very minimalistic-glassy look. 

The Start menu is, finally, yes finally, back to its beautiful, less cluttered look, with no tiles, making it easier to navigate and see your recent apps and documents.

Overall, the user interface in Windows 11 has been rounded, with flashes of color and depth everywhere. Windows 11 feels a lot more contemporary, thanks to new rounds that are less startling. A centered taskbar contributes to the good vibe, and most aspects of Windows 11 feel updated. With color suggestions and symbols to help you identify areas, it’s much easier to explore settings now.

Multitasking is where you’ll find some of the most significant changes in Windows 11. The Windows user interface (UI), keyboard shortcuts, or context menus have always provided options for organizing and snapping windows. They’re no longer a well-kept secret used only by the most powerful. Microsoft has gathered all of them and now displays them in the form of Snap Assist, a button that appears when you hover your mouse over the maximize button in most programs.

In addition, there are more features – like widgets, simplified system tray, integration of MS Teams, new features in inbuilt basic applications, and, of course, the new Windows Store with Android apps.

The Negatives

Windows 11 feels like it is in its Beta Stage. Even with a differently amazing taskbar, it is also the area with the most changes.
Although the differences aren’t quite discernible to everyone, Windows users will recognize and feel the difference. It feels like you have less control over your taskbar now. Despite Microsoft adds more settings, you’re still placed into 1995 Control Panel UI when you want to change things like mouse settings. Most people won’t appreciate this outdated interface. There has been no progress on the Dark Theme, which we thought would improve. It still lags in applying it to all the programs.
Overall, it is still a work in progress as many features await polishing behind the scenes. From Universal Mute to Android Apps and Dynamic Refresh Rate, they all are missing from the launch.

Conclusion

While Windows 11 is a work in progress, most users will welcome the new features and UI. That’s a good upgrade, which, depending on your current use, you might upgrade to or wait for a version update. After all, Windows 11 still feels familiar, and behind all of the UI changes, the same Windows we’ve been using for decades.

Written by- Saayansh Ahuja

(Member of Thrust: E-cell)