Windows 10 Will Be The Second XP, Here’s Why
Windows 11 is announced just a while ago, but will people be willing to update their PCs? That’s the tricky part.
Recently, Microsoft has announced its brand new OS, Windows 11. This was a big surprise for everybody including me because according to the rumors, Windows 10 would be the last OS coming from Microsoft and it would be renewed with additional cumulative updates.
Since the announcement, I have closely been following the updates and news about Windows 11 and besides, I am testing Windows 11 for a while in Dev Channel. So, in this article, I will share my ideas and try to find answers to these questions:
- Why Microsoft decided to release a new OS?
- What does Windows 11 offer new to Windows 10 users?
- Will people be willing to upgrade to Windows 11?
The announcement of the new OS got me thrilled because lately, I started to expect something new from Microsoft and my expectations got fulfilled. I have been using Windows since Windows 95 and with this usage experience, I could say that there would be a breaking change coming from Microsoft. However, because of their statement in an event, I was expecting to see this change as an update to Windows 10. But what changed the mind of Microsoft and it decided to release Windows 11?
Why Microsoft decided to release a new OS?
In 2015, right before the release of Windows 10, a developer working at Microsoft stated something spectacular: Windows 10 will be the last OS released. However, despite this, Microsoft announced Windows 11 a while ago. So, what might have changed Microsoft’s mind? Well, there are a few possible answers to this question.
Google’s Domination
Recently, the sales of ChromeBook have skyrocketed. From last year to this year, the usage of ChromeOS has grown more than 100% while Windows has grown just 10%. The growth of ChromeOS directly affects Windows’ market share because Windows users partially switch to ChromeOS. This is not the case for Apple since Apple users don’t want to abandon the ecosystem. That’s why the market share of MacOS stays almost still.
At this point, Microsoft could prefer to release a new OS with all the brand and marketing rather than a silent Windows 10 update.
Inconsistencies and Bad Reputation
From Windows 7 to now, there is a bad reputation for Windows. “Windows has many inconsistencies in the user interface (UI)” people think. Because while using dark mode, I encounter a window that hasn’t implemented the dark mode, yet or it is such a common thing to see different context menus on different parts of the operating system even on the same application.
These inconsistencies in UI design completely blow up the user experience and Windows users start to get annoyed. Because they don’t want to see context menus coming from 15 years ago, XP, on their brand new PC and OS.
This could be the other reason that changes Microsoft’s mind because in this new OS, despite there still are many inconsistencies, they try to clear all the inconsistencies off and create a new, modern and stylish look.
Of course, there are many more reasons that you can come up with. You can argue that Microsoft tries to improve its revenue by shipping a new product etc. But the two reasons I explained above are, according to me, the principal reasons for the announcement of Windows 11.
What does Windows 11 offer new to Windows 10 users?
My expectations for Windows 11 were high but when the OS is announced, it, simply, wasn't enough. There are some good features and reasons to switch to Windows 11. However, none of them is killer and really good. They all are subjectively good and optional.
Here are the primary reasons one would want to upgrade to Windows 11, according to me.
- It has better security and privacy management compared to Windows 10.
- Thanks to Direct Storage, the games supporting it, which are very few, will launch many times faster than before. However, in a few months, with an update, Windows 10 will also have Direct Storage.
- Android apps will be working natively in Windows 11.
- Rounded corners and a centered start menu will make Windows 11 look more elegant and fresh. However, this is completely subjective.
- As Microsoft claims, the performance will be better than Windows 10.
- The Windows 10 support ends in 2025.
Among these reasons, the ones that excite me the most are native android app support and new design.
As you know, to run an android app on Windows, you have to use a virtual machine that is not very performant because there are two distinct layers until the app accesses the hardware. But if CPUs start to run android apps natively, the performance of the apps will be splendid as there is no middleman between the app and the hardware.
The other thing I like about Windows 11 is the new UI design. According to me, it is a real necessity for Windows to update the UI. Because UI looks old and not too appealing. Moreover, the legacy UI components are everywhere in Windows 10. With this update, I am hopefully expecting to see a consistent and justified UI across the whole OS.
Will people be willing to upgrade to Windows 11?
That’s a tricky one to answer for now because the final version of Windows 11 hasn't been released, yet and what we have now is some insider builds having plenty of bugs and design inconsistencies. However, when I check out what Microsoft promises for Windows 11, I don’t see any urgent reason to switch to Windows 11. Besides, there’s the TPM issue which doesn’t even allow some computers to upgrade, from the beginning.
Remember when Windows Vista came out and only 21 people upgraded? That’s why Windows XP is still a legend for many. Windows Vista didn’t offer anything that Windows XP couldn’t. There was a design change and unluckily, some performance issues. In social media, this is what people said most about Windows 11: It is Windows 10 with a new theme. Basically, the same argument as before. In addition, Windows 11 removes many features to create a more minimalist OS such as taskbar positioning and scaling, start menu, and many more…
So, here’s what I think: Windows 10 will be the second XP and stay legend for many years. Because the way everything is going on is pretty similar to 14 years ago, Vista Era.
In this article, I tried to answer some questions that any tech-savvy would ask. Windows 11 doesn't look very promising, for now. However, it is a fact that the final release can change every opinion I shared here. So, let’s wait and see will Windows 11 help Microsoft to dominate the OS industry.
Hope you’ve found it useful. If you want to hear more from me, make sure you subscribe to my email list. You’ll get a free story special for email subscribers and weekly updates about my works.
Thank you for reading. If you liked it, make sure you clap, and if you have anything to say about the article, leave a response. See you in the next article.