Windows 11: Microsoft revamps the Start Menu and Android apps for ads

A new version of PC software has been revealed with a new design, faster performance, longer battery life and a more open store

Microsoft revamps the Start Menu and Android apps for ads

Microsoft unveiled Windows 11 as it seeks to update the world's most popular desktop software, add Android apps, and improve games without alienating users.

Announced during a live broadcast that had some technical issues, Windows 11 will replace Windows 10 and marks the biggest change to the 35-year-old operating system since 2015.

A key element of the "modern but familiar" design is the improved Start menu, search, and taskbar, which have been moved to the middle of the screen similar to the dock on macOS or Chromebooks, and made more touch-friendly for tablets.

The interface has been smoothed with rounded corners, icons have been updated, animations have become smoother and more smartphone-like, and a new pane of AI-powered widgets and news feed slides from the left side of the screen. Microsoft's chat and video calling platform, Teams, is integrated right into the taskbar and made more consumer-focused to better compete with Apple's FaceTime and iMessage among others.

Windows 11

Windows 11 will be faster and more energy efficient, so your laptop batteries will last longer compared to Windows 10. It also boots up, unlocks, and refreshes faster. Web browsers will also be faster, regardless of whether you're using Microsoft Edge, which has been revamped the same.

Microsoft has added "snap layouts" that move apps to designate parts of the screen to facilitate multitasking, and "snap groups" that remember where a group of apps is on your screen so you can instantly put them in the same place. Windows 11 will also remember where apps are located on external monitors when you connect and unplug a laptop.

The experience of using a Windows 11 tablet has been improved without a keyboard connected to a smartphone-like virtual keyboard, gestures similar to those used on trackpads and haptic feedback for on-screen pen writing — all changes aimed at making Windows tablets better rival Apple's iPad .

Windows 11

Another big change is the way the Microsoft Store works. It will accept any type of app, which opens the door to competing products like Chrome. Developers will be free to use alternative payment systems, which will allow them to avoid Microsoft's 15% reduction in the use of its system, which neither Apple nor Google allows, which is a controversial topic.

Windows will support Android apps installed via the Amazon App Store within the Microsoft Store, opening up a world of mobile apps on PC similar to the moves Apple made with macOS.

Microsoft is bringing more of its Xbox features to Windows, including its Auto HDR system, which automatically optimizes lighting and colors for more than 1,000 games, although it requires an HDR-enabled monitor or TV. It offers its own "live storage" technology, which dramatically speeds up game loading as seen in Microsoft's next-generation consoles, but will require high-end dedicated hardware.

The first betas of Windows 11 will be available through the Windows Insider Beta Testing Program next week, with a full consumer release available in the fall as a free update to Windows 10 on eligible PCs.

Microsoft hopes the redesign of the Start menu and interface will go down better than its last major effort to change the way you work with Windows 8, which had to be restored quickly after user backlash with Windows 8.1 less than a year later.


Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting Guest Posting

Post a Comment

0 Comments