[German]That was faster than I expected after all – my guess was that the release would be on October 19, 2021. But Microsoft has now set the release date for Windows 11 to October 5, 2021, the first Tuesday of the month, and just announced the whole thing. Here's an overview of what you should know.
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Microsoft has posted the relevant details on the Windows blog. Windows 11 will be available starting Oct. 5, 2021 (thanks for the reader tip). That day marks the start of the rollout for eligible Windows 10 PCs. This upgrade to Windows 11 is said to be free of charge. Furthermore, PCs with Windows 11 pre-installed will be able to go on sale starting on this date.
Rollout planned in waves
Similar to what we already know about Windows 10, the rollout of Windows 11 to existing Windows 10 systems that meet the requirements for an upgrade is to be done in waves. The focus of the staged rollout will be to ensure the quality of the upgrade. That's where the experience of rolling out new Windows 10 builds will come in.
First, new devices that meet the Windows 11 system requirements and are eligible to upgrade are to receive the upgrade. The upgrade will then gradually be rolled out to devices already on the market. Microsoft is relying on smart models that take into account hardware eligibility, reliability, device age and other factors. Microsoft already has corresponding machine-learning models in Windows 10.
Microsoft expects that all eligible devices will receive the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022. Anyone with a Windows 10 PC that is eligible for the upgrade will receive a notification via Windows Update when the upgrade is available. I had briefly pointed this out yesterday in the post Windows 11: PC Health-App updated, release date and no updates for non-compatible systems?
However, users can also manually check whether the device is ready for Windows 11 in Windows 10. To do this, go to the Settings page and then navigate to Windows Update. There, one selects the option Check for updates, and wait to see if an upgrade offer is found for download and installation.
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Some new features, but huge system requirements
I had already given in June 2021 to the presentation of Windows 11 in the blog post Yes, Microsoft introduced Windows 11 an outline of the new features. Microsoft also gives an overview of the new features in the Windows blog.
Windows 11 desktop, start menu and taskbar, source: Microsoft
But the biggest sticking point will be the system requirements regarding an upgrade. I reported about this in the articles Microsoft defends the minimum Windows 11 system requirements and Windows 11: Microsoft specifies hardware requirements, no blocking on incompatible devices. Microsoft provides the PC Health app, which can be used to check compatibility (see Windows 11: PC Health-App updated, release date and no updates for non-compatible systems?).
No Android support at launch
One of the features that probably got the most attention at the Windows 11 launch was the announcement that Android apps could also be run directly. Technically, Microsoft relies on Intel Bridge Technology to run the code from the Android APK program files. Intel Bridge Technology includes a post-compiler to transition the code to the x86 base, where it can then be executed. Some details can be found in the articles here and here.
At launch of Windows 11, however, exactly this feature will not be on board, as you can read in this The Verge article, for example.
Do you switch to Windows 11?
I myself do not own a system that would be upgradeable, as the CPUs are too old and TPM 2.0 is not supported. Maybe I will manage to set up a test system with Windows 11 in a virtual machine. I definitely won't buy new hardware, and Windows 11 hasn't convinced me yet either. What about you guys? Is anyone switching to Windows 11?
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