The year Microsoft brought Clippy back to Windows, if only to replace the clip's emoji, Microsoft's big game was the release of Windows 11.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at how the new OS was received - and its startup issues, naturally - and also what else Microsoft was up to in 2021. This included the usual clutch of new Surface hardware. It makes admirable progress on the accessibility and eco-responsibility fronts, as we will see. But first, let's dig in and take a look at how Windows 11 was developed...
Windows 11: the good, the bad, and compatibility
The release of Windows 11 as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users was arguably the biggest development for Microsoft in 2021. The operating system that was never meant to be, remember that Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows ( not that we thought it would) - previewed for the second half of 2021, before finally being released and rolling out starting October 5, billed as a "New Era for PC".
But even before its official release in October, Windows 11 got off to a shaky and confusing start when it comes to system requirements. The stipulation for TPM 2.0, a security measure Microsoft insisted on stricter defenses with Windows 11, caused confusion, which was compounded by the unstable nature of Microsoft's PC Health Check tool. The latter did not provide any details on why a system might be incompatible and left many users scratching their heads (before it was removed for that very reason).
Simply put, compatibility issues for some PCs are fairly easily resolved by tweaking or updating the BIOS to enable TPM 2.0, with the technology present but not enabled on some modern systems, but it was all left. Bad taste in your mouth even before Windows 11 came out.
The fact that some relatively modern processors from just five years ago, namely Intel's seventh-generation (or later) line, were not supported was frustrating news for owners of such PCs, further compounded by the disclosure of that Windows 11 actually (unofficially) run on something as old as a Pentium 4 (Cedar Mill) processor from 15 years ago.
This is another quirk with Windows 11, which Microsoft made so you could update the operating system on machines that don't support TPM 2.0 through various flaws, but it's not recommended, and it really shouldn't. Don't get it for vital system updates in the future (even if you're doing it now, anecdotally at least).
So there were some unfortunate slips and general annoyances around Windows 11 support before and after launch, and these weren't the only things that caused some perplexity in the operating system. We'll see that later, but first let's take a look. look at the initial reaction to Windows 11.
Overall, the atmosphere around Microsoft's big overhaul of its desktop operating system was pretty positive. We felt it was a big step forward visually and a lot of people agreed. With the new streamlined desktop, and simpler File Explorer menus, everything is neater and sharper, and more modern to boot (with those rounded corners for windows and menus, of course).
The new Microsoft Store has turned out to be a huge improvement, and will crucially integrate third-party stores, and it already does with the Epic Games Store, and there are welcome updates underway for several top apps and new widgets.
Okay, there were shots in the new Start menu, which looks like it took a sheet from the Chrome OS playbook; Not everyone likes its new center-aligned Launcher-style vibe, and that's it. . There was also a disappointment in that there was no support for running Android apps on the desktop from scratch (this is still in testing though).
Plus, scraping under the surface of the shiny new desktop, a lot remains the same, really, and as we noted in our full Windows 11 review, it really feels like a Windows 10 reskin. A great start to a redesign than a Completely new operating system, but we would not expect Microsoft to completely move away from Windows 10; in fact, somehow, the operating system released in 2015 did not disappear. At least not yet.
Perhaps the thorniest issue for us regarding Windows 11 is that it seems to follow Windows 10 when it comes to bugs. As you probably know, Microsoft's rigor around bugs is well established with Windows 10, unfortunately, with repeated scenarios demonstrated where bug fixes fail or even cause other unwanted issues.
Windows 11 continued along the same lines as Windows 10 with printer issues, which has been an ongoing disaster since the launch of the new operating system.
Other serious bugs have been circulating, for example one where some NVMe SSDs run much slower than they should (which has just been fixed, for most people at least), and more with Explorer files. . The latter is a central part of the operating system, or rather the central part, since these are the same files and folders that it interacts with on the desktop; Some users experience slow performance with the context menu, for example, and multiple gremlins memory leaks. which caused extra slowness.
Now we realize that redesigning an entire desktop operating system is a mammoth task fraught with all sorts of nuances and complexity, but breaking through the core part of the interface in this way, for some users at least, doesn't really inspire confidence in the Microsoft implementation. and problem solving skills.
The bugs (which, let's face it, we got used to with Windows 10, even though we were hoping Windows 11 could have been a new leaf for Microsoft) also came with some weird design decisions. For example, removing the ability to drag and drop application shortcuts to the taskbar or changing browser defaults to make them frustrating and clunky. Fortunately, these are decisions that Microsoft is changing, and the software giant apparently listens to feedback (at least in some cases).
As we said before, Windows 11 still seems like a work in progress a few months after launch, but at least in general, the operating system seems to be moving in the right direction. As the end of 2021 approaches, the elements of the desktop operating system feel as if they come together in a more coherent and logical way, so we are optimistic for the future. Microsoft has also promised to focus on speeding up Windows 11 in 2022 (we should think about that as well, given that the performance of the Nuts and Bolts interface on the desktop really shouldn't be an issue with a supported PC setup).
It bodes well that Microsoft felt secure enough to open the floodgates for Windows 11 updates in mid-November, and we've already seen an increase in the popularity of the operating system.
The pleasure of the game, with a cloud on the horizon?
It's worth considering what Microsoft has done for PC gaming this year, and it's mostly included in Windows 11. The good news is that Windows 11 offers some nifty gaming features, like the included Xbox app with tighter integration into The operating system; and the Auto HDR feature that gives non-HDR games a similar level of added vibrancy with contrast and vibrancy. DirectStorage will also make a big difference in SSD loading speeds and overall performance in the future, when supported by games.
Importantly, gaming performance is on par with Windows 10 and, in some cases, slightly better. The only cloud on the horizon is Virtualization-Based Security or VBS, which as the name suggests is a security feature that greatly strengthens your PC against malicious intruders, but has an impact on them.
You don't need to enable VBS now, and PC gamers probably won't want to, although performance isn't that important in some cases (it varies by game, although it's pretty heavy on some test titles we've seen). But the problem is that Microsoft will make it mandatory with some OEM systems in the next year.
So while that's not happening now, pre-built PCs like HP or Dell may soon come with VBS enabled, and less tech-savvy users won't even know they're getting fewer games. performance with your platform. They will be more secure though, which is the flip side... but the bottom line is how far this mandatory activation will go and whether it will affect gaming PCs. We hope not in the latter case, of course, because Microsoft has been careful how it behaves here.
Other notable gaming news came in December 2021 when Google revealed that it would bring the Google Play Games store titles to Windows 10 and 11. Google will have its own Windows app to facilitate this experience, allowing mobile games to be played on Windows. . PC with seamless continuity, making it possible to pick up where you left off on your phone when gaming on the desktop. In other words, you could enjoy Candy Crush on your PC in 2022 when this feature is rolled out (although it is still early days and it is not clear which mobile games will be supported).
On the brink of boredom?
At the beginning of the year, Microsoft finally took the legacy version of Edge offline and fully focused on advancing the incarnation of the Chromium-based browser. And the company has done a lot of work with Edge in 2021, including steps to help online shopping and save money, minimizing resource usage (with things like sleep tabs), and becoming the master of PDF files.
Not to mention seriously strengthening your security, and even drawing tips on the front of the game, because Edge now works better ...