Windows 11 is rumoured to be the next operating system from Microsoft, following on from the existing Windows 10 platform.
Microsoft has confirmed it will be hosting an event today to show off “what’s next for Windows”. This is widely expected to be our first official look at Windows 11. Leaks have also seemingly shown us what it could look like, with a new Mac-esque layout and a simplified start menu. We’ll know more features once Microsoft finally reveals more information. For more details on Windows 11, keep scrolling down. 
Release date
Microsoft is expected to unveil Windows 11 during its livestream event today (24th June) at 11am Eastern time – that’s 11pm in Singapore. You’ll be able to watch the livestream event by following this link. A release date for Windows 11 has not been revealed yet, but we expect Microsoft toannounce a launch day during tomorrow’s event. Price There’s no word on the price for Windows 11 right now, but you may need to pay a fee to upgrade from Windows 10. Windows 10 Home currently costs SG$269.00, so we expect Windows 11 will share a similar price point. However, it’s expected that new laptops and pre-built machines will start to be sold with Windows 11 pre-installed. Although we don’t know how soon this will happen. Leaks A supposed ‘leaked build’ of Microsoft’s new desktop operating system – dubbed Windows 11 in some quarters – has made its way online. Screenshots of a purported Windows 11 Pro developer build are doing the rounds. XDA Developers and Beta World have published the images first leaked on Baidu and, judging by the first glance, Windows 11 is going to look a lot like the recently-binned Windows 10X OS Microsoft decided not to release. Since the screenshots were published, The Verge seems to have dealt a little deeper.
At the time, Microsoft said people didn’t want 10X but wanted some of its Chromebook-rivalling, cloud-friendly features built into standard version of the operating system. That ethos, if the screenshots are accurate, may underpin Windows 11 or Windows Sun Valley or whatever the new version ends up being called.
From the screenshots we can see that Live Tiles are no more. As with Windows 10X (and macOS for that matter) there’s a central taskbar and app dock. The new Windows Menu features access to pinned apps, restart/shutdown features as well as the most recent files. All in all, it looks a little more simplified. Again, following the lead of macOS, Windows 11 looks to be a little more curved in terms of the file folders and menus.
According to reports there’s also a new start-up sound and boot animation (above) while Microsoft Widgets now see to be returning to the OS (below).
The the early build also showcases the ability to snap apps into certain positions on the display. These controls are accessed from the ‘maximise’ buttons and arrange apps in whatever way suits to boost your productivity. Side by side or in the corners, for instance. 
According to recent reports, there’ll also be a new Microsoft Store interface, but there’s no sign of that in what seems like quite an early preview of the software Microsoft intends to unveil next week.
We know it’s a little farther along because Satya Nadella recently revealed he’s been using it for quite a while. Microsoft has also confirmed Windows 10 support will end in 2025 ahead of the June 24 reveal event. What about Windows 10X? That’s a good question because Microsoft put a lot of stock in the Windows 10X offshoot it hoped would be the answer to the Chromebook-powering Google Chrome OS, as well as a new-generation of dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo. However, last year, as the remote working switch gathered speed, Microsoft put the update on the back burner. 
Now the company says it is cancelling the update altogether. In a blog post, the company confirmed: “We concluded that the 10X technology shouldn’t just be confined to a subset of customers. Instead of bringing a product called Windows 10X to market in 2021 like we originally intended, we are leveraging learnings from our journey thus far and accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other parts of Windows and products at the company.”
It now looks like Microsoft will be integrating the Windows 10X features into Windows 11 rather than having two seperate operating systems.  Comments are closed.
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