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