After a leaky couple of weeks, Microsoft on Thursday finally announced Windows 11 release date, the first major update to the platform since the launch of predecessor Windows 10 nearly six years ago.
Microsoft says Windows 11 beta builds will be available to Windows Insiders in the week commencing June 28, 2021 and is going to be available to download as a free upgrade this holiday and will continue to roll out through 2022.
Of course an early build of Windows 11 has already leaked, and that means many enthusiasts have already been sneakily getting to grips with the intricacies of the new operating system (OS) via nefarious, unsanctioned means. But Frank Shaw of Microsoft has discounted that the “incomplete build some people were playing with last week” was not the real deal for Windows 11.
Aside user-interface (UI) changes, one of the most interesting parts of Windows 11, especially for personal computer (PC) gamers, is that its hardware scheduler is rumoured to have been tuned for Intel’s new Alder Lake range of processors also launching this year.
Windows 11 features a cleaner interface and pushes further toward a mobile-friendly environment inspired by shifts to how PCs have been used amid a COVID-19 pandemic, forcing many people to work remotely.
“What was so powerful was the shift in the PC we saw and felt – from something practical and functional to something personal and emotional,” wrote Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer for Windows and devices, in a blog post on Thursday.
“This is what inspired us as we were building the next generation of Windows. To build you a place that feels familiar, where you can create, learn, play and most importantly, connect in all new ways.”
