Windows 11 is here!

So today's the day! After around 2 months of running Windows 11 on preview and preparing for the launch of the finished article, Windows 11 is finally here! I (and everyone else at Microsoft) can't wait to hear your feedback but as we launch, I wanted to share my thoughts about what you can expect - as someone who uses a laptop, rather than as a Microsoftie :)

The first thing you'll notice is that although the layout is different, fresh and refreshed with the Start menu in the middle of the screen, the navigation and ways of working are intuitive and familiar. Things just work they way you think they should. This might seem like an odd thing to call out, especially first but no one wants to spend hours learning an OS before they use it. Windows 11 is familiar and you'll be straight into doing the things you want and need in no time!

The icons below on the Start Menu are more distinct, easier to see and to navigate to via touch or mouse, my 6 year old is able to move around more easily compared to Windows 10 - again it sounds like a simple thing but if we really want to be inclusive of all it's the simple things that often count the most.

Secondly Windows 11 is more personal, swiping in from the left brings up the weather, my calendar, news and sports results as well as other elements to help me immediately - these "widgets" are customisable but I have to say, the initial loadout is pretty strong! Teams is integrated into the OS and pinned to the task bar putting me in touch with those I contact the most instantly.

Finally, for now, perhaps the biggest change is the store. What I mean by this is now there are apps! Apps, apps, apps, apps apps - yes you heard it right, more than ever before there's more choice of apps running natively from Disney+ to Tik Tok or Spotify but if that's not enough the Amazon app store is coming which will give us access to over 500,000 apps. Yes I know it's not 100% there now but it does show the commitment to improvement that is being made for Windows 11.

Windows 11 surfaces more relevant info and helps me to get to things and back to people quicker than Windows 10 did and importantly all of my day to day sharepoints and apps just work so the friction of adopting a new OS is very low. I'm already excited about Windows 11 and what it will bring in time and I haven't even spoken about gaming! Let me know what you think!