There’s also a new Windows App Store that’s more open and has more apps that you actually use on Windows. These changes alone make Windows 11 look different, but once you get used to it, it certainly feels like Windows underneath. Windows 11 brings a new approach to this old, familiar home, but it often feels like the home renovation phase is still underway. It’s missing some features you might be used to, missing some promised features, and still has plenty of clunky old Windows features.
Microsoft Microsoft wants Windows 11 to be familiar. The company has tried and failed in the past to make major changes to Windows’ user interface, but Windows 11 looks like a clever and well-thought-out attempt to modernize an operating system that’s been around for over 35 years. There’s a new Start Menu that does away with Live Tiles, which were first introduced in Windows 8. There’s a new theme that introduces rounded corners instead of Windows 10’s sharp corners and brings depth and color to Windows.
Highlights
Most of Microsoft’s aesthetic improvements are desperately needed, but could go further in some places. It’s very similar to Windows 10, but it’s missing some pieces that power users might miss. The improvements may be worth upgrading for most people, but Windows 11 primarily offers changes to the old ways that work, not new ways to use Windows.
Whether or not you upgrade to Windows 11 is also highly dependent on your PC hardware. Microsoft offers a free upgrade to Windows 10 for everyone, but only offers a free upgrade to Windows 11 if you have the latest processor (Intel 8th Gen, introduced after 2017) will be It is this decision that Microsoft attributes to the security that caused the controversy regarding Windows 11 before its release. But the actual use of Windows 11 in recent months has been less controversial than I expected.