1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,400 So remember that thing about how Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows ever? 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:09,120 Well, it's not a thing. The next version of Windows will be gracing us with its presence 3 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:16,480 once the 2021 holiday season rolls around, and yes, it will be a free upgrade called Windows 11. 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:22,640 But are the changes actually big enough to justify Microsoft calling it a whole new version 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,520 instead of just another update to Windows 10? Well, the ones you'll notice immediately 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:32,240 are the visual changes. So let's start by talking about those. The taskbar has gotten a 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:37,120 facelift with icons now clustered in the center by default rather than off to the left, 8 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:43,440 similar to what you'd see on macOS. It puts you at the center. It's a little jarring, but given 9 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:49,120 how taskbar icons have been just squares for over a decade now, instead of the big rectangles we had 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:54,880 with Windows XP, the move does make some sense and should be a little easier to deal with for 11 00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:00,800 ultra-wide users as well. There are also rounded corners. Rounded corners everywhere. Even on the 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:07,200 logo, kind of reminiscent of Aeroglass from Windows 7, as well as redesigned icons and animations, 13 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:12,880 which Microsoft says are designed to feel more real and contextual to the user. Kind of sounds 14 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:17,520 like they took a page out of Google's material design philosophy. And you can feel their elegance. 15 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:23,680 But probably the biggest visual change is snap layouts, which will automatically suggest snap 16 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,800 presets to manage all the Windows you have open. And it's supposed to be based on your actual 17 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:34,480 hardware, which is great news for folks who don't happen to be rocking a standard screen. Windows 18 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:39,200 auto saves any layout that you're using, so you can quickly go back to it if you're interrupted, 19 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:44,080 or if you unplug and reconnect the second monitor, which is a much needed feature. 20 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:49,920 Moving on, Microsoft is also trying to make Windows more phone-like in a couple of ways. 21 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,800 One, they want it to be easier for users to get current information. So widgets have been 22 00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:00,000 reanimated from the dead, but in their own window this time, which also includes a news feed that's 23 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,200 kind of like what you'd get in the Google app in Android. And number two, one of the biggest changes 24 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:11,440 is that Windows 11 will feature Android apps in the Microsoft Store through Amazon. Could we have 25 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:16,480 any more tech giants collaborating here? They're going to run on Windows natively, so hopefully 26 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,640 they won't have the same issues that users have experienced trying to get Android apps to run using 27 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:25,920 third-party solutions, or on Chromebooks. But what if you already use Windows mostly on a touch 28 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:31,920 device like a tablet? Well, Microsoft has added little tweaks to make tapping and swiping easier, 29 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:37,200 including more space around taskbar icons when you're in tablet mode, a swipable keyboard with 30 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:42,960 Swift key-like text entry and emoji, and auto-vertical window stacking when you turn your tablet to 31 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:48,320 portrait mode. And there's enhanced voice recognition and auto-punctuation if you want to go totally 32 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:54,560 hands-free. There's also a renewed focus on gaming, which shouldn't be surprising given how Microsoft 33 00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:00,880 has been trying to unify the Xbox and PC ecosystems for a few years now. Windows 11 features a couple 34 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:07,920 of tricks taken right from the Xbox, the first of which is auto-HDR. Yes! Microsoft says that over 35 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,040 a thousand games will be automatically enhanced with HDR, requiring no additional work from either 36 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,000 the player or the developer. That's a big claim. The other big ticket gaming feature is direct 37 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:23,040 storage, which allows your graphics card to directly access the data it needs from your 38 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,880 NB and ESSD instead of having to go back through the CPU. This should significantly cut down on 39 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:34,960 load times when starting up a game or loading a new level with supported games. And underlying 40 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,680 all of this are the usual performance improvements, including with Windows Update. 41 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,760 Microsoft says updates are now 40% smaller and the OS will only get one major feature update a year 42 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,720 instead of two, so hopefully you won't have your system slowing down or getting interrupted 43 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:56,320 as often. Wow, that really is a positive spin on not getting a spinny new features as often. 44 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,400 So what do you guys think of the changes? Let us know in the comments. As for me, I just hope 45 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:08,480 Windows 11 has fewer glitches than Microsoft's launch event did. Haha, big oof. Thanks for 46 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:13,600 watching guys! 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