Windows 11 is on its way! As I was finishing up my last blog about the new macOS I realized it wouldn’t be fair to not mention anything about the latest version of Windows that was recently announced, Windows 11. Microsoft tends to borrow their OS naming system from German automakers where it just your basic numbers and letters (See: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) where Apple on the other hand seems to follow the American automakers, using exciting names that try to captivate users (See: Dodge, Ford). This isn’t related to the functionality of the OS, just an observation.

So other than being 1 version number higher, what are the differences between Windows 10 and Windows 11? The first obvious difference is the user interface (UI). While Windows 10 was a great first attempt at cleaning up Windows notoriously messy UI, this latest version really takes the concept and turns it up to 11 (sorry). The new UI is the most streamlined it has ever been, it takes a very minimalistic approach with soft colors and rounded edges which gives it a clean and smooth look and feel. While a standard Windows UI can be set up with a Start Menu and all your programs lined up in the bottom corner of your screen, the default view uses a centered style for the first time ever which is supposed to help with focus somehow. On paper all of the new UI changes seem to be solid improvements, however, in practice we will have to wait and see as Windows doesn’t have the best track record with UI changes (looking at you Windows 8).

Perhaps one of the most talked-about features coming to Windows 11 is the capability to run Android apps on Windows. In a shocking twist, Apple was actually the first company to integrate iOS mobile apps into their computer operating system when they announced the feature with their new M1 chip last year. Naturally, Google and Microsoft needed to come up with an answer, and since Microsoft’s only phone, the Surface Duo, runs a fork of the Android operating system, the two companies could skip the formalities and start working together right away. As FOMO is a real thing in the trillion-dollar tech company world (I’m guessing), Amazon decided to join the party and provide their mobile App Store which is used as the actual marketplace for the apps. This means it is not technically the Google Play store that the apps are coming from, therefore some apps may not be available. Confused? I will recap to straighten everything out, it is the new Windows 11 operating system, running Android apps, purchased from the Amazon mobile App Store. I haven’t had a chance to test out how it all works, but with this many successful corporations behind it, what could possibly go wrong?

Some other notable features coming to Windows 11 are home screen widgets powered by Microsoft’s redesigned Edge web browser (you know, the one that looks exactly like Chrome), and a simpler way to organize and interact with various communication channels like Teams and Zoom. As Microsoft also makes the ultra-powerful Xbox Series X|S, the integration of things like Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Remote Play has also been improved to help contribute to a better gaming experience on Windows.

Overall Windows 11 certainly looks like a promising improvement on the Windows operating system, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that this version of Windows is doomed to fail. Microsoft’s cycle seems to be putting out a good version of Windows every other release. This is why you likely upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7 and skipped Windows Vista, and why you upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and skipped Windows 8 (and 8.1). The biggest question on many people’s minds right now is can Windows 11 finally break this cycle and release two good versions of Windows back to back? Stay tuned for a full review after Windows 11 public release and hopefully the answer to that question.