Microsoft's enthusiasm for "Windows 11" and various improvements Japan Top News

　Microsoft's new OS "Windows 11" finally became available for free download last week. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Windows 11 is the beginning of a "new generation of Windows" that will help people achieve their dreams, while Chief Product Officer Panos Panay said: A new era of PCs is about to begin.

　Windows 11 is undoubtedly the biggest update since "Windows 7", but it also clearly reflects a new reality. So Windows is just one of many products for Microsoft, including Microsoft Office, Teams and the Azure cloud platform.

Regardless of the reality, Microsoft should be celebrating the arrival of this new version of Windows some 38 years after co-founder Bill Gates announced "Windows 1.0".

　Microsoft has been testing new features and redesigned user interfaces with members of the "Windows Insider" for the past year. Users of "Windows 10" version 2004 or later can upgrade to Windows 11 for free. But it has to be relatively new hardware. You can check if your PC meets the hardware requirements for the upgrade with Microsoft's revised PC Health Check App. Alternatively, you can buy Microsoft's new Surface series. There are 2in1 "Surface Pro 8", Arm-based "Surface Pro X", and affordable "Surface Go 3".

Mr. Nadella is naturally optimistic. "Windows 11 marks the beginning of a new era for Windows, making it easier for everyone to dream big and bring their ideas to life. We can't wait to see what you create." I can't," he wrote.

When Microsoft released Windows 10 and introduced a rolling update method for software and services, it suggested that Windows 11 was not necessary. But it is clear that this idea has been abandoned. In addition to abandoning this "Windows 10 forever" idea, the release of Windows 11 follows May's decision to deprecate "Windows 10X." Windows 10X was supposed to be Microsoft's answer to Google's popular cheap Chrome OS devices.

　It is clear that the PC is no longer the primary computing device used by many people. Many people choose smartphones and tablets. Still, the PC proved to be surprisingly persistent. And while Windows has lagged behind cloud products Azure and Office 365 and Microsoft 365 in recent years, it hasn't been completely ignored. Panay's promotion to the senior management team in August also lifted Windows.

　As Mary Jo Foley, who wrote an article for ZDNet in the US, wrote at the time, since the former head of Windows, Terry Myerson, resigned in 2018, the Windows business division has a senior management leader there was no

On the company's official blog announcing the release of Windows 11, Mr. Panay said that it was a "commemorable milestone in the history of Windows" and reiterated Mr. Nadella's claim that it would increase the creativity of up to 1 billion Windows users. We support it passionately.

Mr. Panay wrote that "Windows is a driving force for innovation" and "a permanent platform for us to demonstrate our creativity".

　ASUS, HP, and Lenovo will release new models with Windows 11, and Acer, Dell, and Samsung will soon release them.

Mr. Panay said, "The Windows ecosystem boasts an unparalleled expansion and scale, meeting the needs of a variety of people, including creators, developers, students, educators, businessmen, and gamers, in all price ranges, It can be filled in any shape,” he said.

Mr. Panay said that the "Start" menu is a place where you can quickly access important content and apps. But I explained that you can browse recent files in Windows 11. Widgets will also slide across the screen "like glass" to provide personalized information.

　"You can check the flow of the day with Outlook's calendar and to-do list, check the latest news and tomorrow's weather forecast, see memorable photos on OneDrive, etc., and do what you like with widgets. ,” said Panay.

　The chat button of "Microsoft Teams" is also an eye-catching change. It replaces Skype's "Meet Now" button. Skype has recently been updated, but it doesn't come as a button in Windows 11. The Teams chat button offers a simplified version of Teams.

　Windows 11 "Microsoft Store on Windows" has also been updated. However, Android apps and games from the Amazon Appstore are not yet available. A partnership with Amazon and Intel will soon make Android apps and games available in preview to Windows Insiders, according to Microsoft.

　Windows 11 also has new features especially for wide displays, "Snap Layout", "Group" and "Desktop". The voice input function has also been enhanced.

　There are also advantages for developers who want to provide applications for Windows 11 using "WebView2", "Windows App SDK" and "WinUI 3". Microsoft explained the details on its official blog.

　Gaming enhancements in Windows 11 include improvements in HDR display rendering and support for the "DirectStorage" technology used in "Xbox" devices. Combined with NVMe SSDs and DirectX 12 GPUs, DirectStorage reduces load times for supported games. Windows 11 also comes with the Xbox app built right in.

Prior to the official release of Windows 11, Microsoft rushed to fix bugs in featured features such as the Start Menu, Taskbar, and Widgets.

This article is an article from overseas Red Ventures edited by Asahi Interactive for Japan.