Windows 11: Ready or not, here it comes

Just like that unappreciated and overworked laborer made famous in the old Bob Seger song, it’s not surprising that many IT pros feel like a number. Coping with the ordinary day-to-day demands of a crucial and challenging job combined with the extraordinary burdens caused by a tech landscape changed by the pandemic, IT pros have a lot on their plate. If you don’t feel like a number now, you will soon, because of a new number: Windows 11.

Microsoft will officially announce Windows 11 on Thursday, although the tech giant has been pretty much tight-lipped on everything about it. Even the Windows 11 name hasn’t been made official, although that is just a formality — Microsoft has already dropped plenty of hints that will be the name, including a YouTube tease that runs exactly 11 minutes. The important stuff for IT pros — price, when Windows 11 will be released, will it be an SaaS subscription model only — is still to come.

Some leaks purporting to be Windows 11 have appeared on various tech sites, including The Verge and PC World, but there’s not much of great interest to the IT pros who will have to implement the update. The leaks show a zippier interface with changes to the Taskbar, Start menu (oh no, not again!), new icons, new wallpapers, and new startup sounds. Your end-users will be impressed — and maybe apprehensive — but the real information you need about Windows 11 will be released in the coming weeks and months.

We do know this: Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 in October 2025, so the clock is ticking. And for IT admins who have been through the Windows new version upgrade grinder before, they can only hope Windows 11 won’t be like another old song: “Nothing but Heartaches.”

If you want to watch the big announcement, Microsoft will live stream it beginning at 11 a.m. (another name hint!) Eastern time on Thursday. TechGenix will have coverage of Windows 11 after the official Microsoft announcement.

Featured image: Microsoft

About The Author

4 thoughts on “Windows 11: Ready or not, here it comes”

  1. SaaS only? Pulling an Adobe, I see. Good thing the courts found MS to be a monopoly in 2000. Really changed things. Not.

  2. I am still running Windows 8.1 PRO 64. Works beautifully…Blue Screen? What’s That? 10 is the worst release I have ever seen…I started back in 1990 with Windows 3.1. and DOS 2.21. BTW, still using Office 2007 too. Still writes letters, and creates spreadsheets. WIN 8.1 is good until January 2023

    1. Thanks for this, Mike. I’m sure a lot of our readers agree with you. I installed Windows 11 and spent the weekend turning off all the features I don’t need, so it now looks and feels like Windows 10. (Had to install some third-party apps to get the taskbar the way I want it.) But Windows 11 is still a work in progress.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Scroll to Top