On October 5, 2021, Windows 11, Microsoft‘s new operating system, successor to Windows 10, reached users. And it did so amid expectation and much controversy. Although it is still a Windows 10 with a major facelift, this new system has marked a before and after in terms of appearance, being one of the biggest changes that we can find in the history of the operating system, more even than the jump from XP to Vista. And, although the adoption of this new system has not been bad, it has not had the expected reception either.
Microsoft has followed similar strategies to those seen in the past when it comes to launching its operating system. That is, the update will reach users through Windows Update, and it will be completely free for those who already have a genuine Windows 10 license. Even Windows 7 and 8.1 users will be able to upgrade to 11, as long as they meet the minimum requirements. and make a stop in between on Windows 10.
After spending 6 months using this new operating system, both in its stable version and in the different channels of the Insider program, we are going to see what is the best and the worst that this OS has left us in its debut.
Windows 11: a great and necessary facelift
Of course, what most catches our attention is the new appearance of the operating system. Microsoft has almost completely revamped the entire visual aspect of its operating system to make it look much more like both macOS and Linux. We can find a new wallpaper, round corners in all windows, a new start menu, a renewed taskbar with centered icons, a new set of icons and folders in the system…
Panels and system prompts have also been revamped, the login sound has been re-enabled, which was disabled by default a long time ago, and much more. The Settings panel gains much more prominence compared to the Control Panel, and has a much more careful appearance in general. In addition, Windows 11 now has much more careful themes to customize the appearance of the system, and a significant improvement in the dark theme, even being able to choose various color settings.
Therefore, of everything that Windows 11 has brought us, we are left with the appearance. And it is that, with its pluses and minuses, it is still a very nice system.
Performance, bugs, and bloatware: back to square one
The problem is that, no matter how beautiful it is, if it doesn’t work properly, it’s of little use. And it is that Windows 11 has come with a significant number of problems that have overshadowed everything else. First of all, Microsoft went ahead to launch the system, and it has come with a lot of bugs and problems. Many of them have already been fixed in these first 6 months, and others already have a patch within the Insider branch, but it has not yet been applied in the normal branch.
Performance is another problem that also affects this new operating system. And it is that, although the system works well as such, many problems present serious performance problems. Software, like Photoshop, or games (even despite new APIs like DirectStorage), don’t quite run as fast and smooth as they should.
Finally, bloatware is also doing its thing again in this new operating system. Microsoft forces a series of apps on us that, almost certainly, do not interest us. And not only that, but the Widgets panel, which was promising at first, becomes a real source of advertising promoted by Bing that will make us search, in all ways, how to deactivate it.
Extra: your requirements
Finally, another aspect that has given much to talk about (and will continue to do so in the future) are its requirements. And it is that, while the previous versions had the same requirements since the era of Windows Vista, with the arrival of 11 these have skyrocketed, both in RAM and in the CPU. And not only that, but Microsoft even forces us to have a TPM 2.0 chip and Secure Boot in order to install the system.
We can install Windows 11 without meeting the requirements. However, we will see a watermark on the PC that will remind us that we are not meeting the requirements. And, in addition, we will not have support from Microsoft. Two aspects that, although logical, are worth mentioning.