Windows 10 is about to bow out. To renew the operating system interface and add many features, the Sun Valley update
Since the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has followed a relatively regular update schedule with two major feature updates a year, which have lately morphed into a minor update in the first half of the year followed by a more significant update in the second half-year.
The next expected update, which has long been nicknamed “Windows 10 Sun Valley,” would be much more important than what one could think beforehand since the firm of Redmond would be preparing to change generation and switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
A choice that raises many questions, especially as Microsoft had announced at the release of Windows 10, would be the latest version of the OS. That is why we propose to take stock of what is known about this at the moment.
Is Windows 11 the new Windows?
With the update codenamed “Sun Valley,” Panos Panay, Microsoft’s product and Windows manager teased in March 2021 a “next generation of Windows” that will be “amazing” and ” massive. ” He announced half-word the arrival of Windows 11, without being able to understand it at the time.
It remains to be seen which nomenclature Microsoft will turn to with this new version of its operating system. If we talk a lot about Windows 11 so far, it is a logical continuation after Windows 10. But in reality, the actual name of this upcoming grind is still unknown. And if Windows 11 remains favourite, other possibilities exist: Microsoft has proven in the past that it does not always follow the numbering order to name its OS versions.
Some clues were still left by the editor suggesting that it is indeed a Windows 11 that is about to land on our computers: a reflection of the Windows logo showing the number 11 (see video below) as well as a piece composed of slow Windows startup sounds lasting… 11 minutes.
In any case, Windows 10 will soon become a thing of the past. In its documentation, Microsoft mentions an end to Windows 10 support for October 14, 2025, leaving four years of minimum support after the arrival of Windows 11.
When does Windows 11 come out?
The Sun Valley update (21: 2) will bring significant changes to Microsoft’s computer operating system, but this should not question its release date. Like all major Windows 10 updates launched in the second half of the year, the new version of the OS should be available to the general public around October and November. However, it remains possible that Microsoft this time will need a little more time given the situation.
No doubt, a public beta will be made available to Insiders very soon, as Microsoft still needs a lot of feedback from beta testers before it can deploy the stable version of an update. The difficulty for the American giant is having to deal with a multitude of different configurations while avoiding bugs and optimizing performance.
A presentation conference on the future of Windows is scheduled for June 24 at 6 p.m. Kenyan time. It is almost assured that Microsoft will take the opportunity to officially announce Windows 11 and make us discover all its novelties.
What business model for Windows 11?
Windows 10 could be installed free of charge on computers already licensed from an earlier version of Windows. No information has yet filtered about this, but Microsoft will likely renew the experience. Users who have become accustomed to no longer having to checkout and returning to a paid business model for an upgrade would undoubtedly have a hard time getting through to many users. And the important thing for the company is to ensure that as many users as possible install the latest version of the OS.
For an unlicensed machine, Windows 10 currently costs KSH 18,545 in its “Family” version and KSH 33,125 in its “Professional” version on the Microsoft store. The price of the Windows 11 license should be similar. Of course, other providers, including from the grey market, will offer much more attractive rates, such as for Windows 10.
What will be the interface of Windows 11?
One of the significant contributions of Windows 11 will be a total redesign of the interface. This new version of the operating system will be significantly inspired by Windows 10X, an OS project that had to equip devices with multiple screens or laptops with a touch panel and was finally put aside by Microsoft.
The corners of the different windows and menus will be rounded, bringing Windows 11 a good dose of modernity. The taskbar, which will adopt three sizes, will improve with a focus on floating menus to initiate quick actions.
The notification centre will also be revamped, taking both many of Windows 10, but integrating some novelties from Windows 10X. We will have between notifications and shortcuts, for example, a new icon to perform a screen scanning action, as on mobile.
New icons will appear with the update to Windows 11. Again, the goal is to modernize the app’s interface, which is still based on ancient UI elements. On the icon side, some are used it since Windows 95!
In general, Microsoft wants to standardize its entire interface so that it finally becomes homogeneous. On Windows 10, we have a mishmash of interface elements from Windows 8, 7, Vista, or even an earlier version. The file explorer will also be given a redesign.
The Sun Valley update also needs to provide a new widget in the taskbar showing local weather and temperature. By clicking on it, the user sees a window in the upper right corner of the screen with news articles, sports results, the stock market price. A customizable interface by informing his interests, with one regret: the obligation to go through the Edge browser to do this. This new tool is already available to some users who have installed the Windows 10 update 21H1, but its final version is expected with Windows 11.
Finally, we learned that the Start menu should only evolve very little in a leak dating from last January. The window will take a rounded design, but the highlighting of the contents would be identical to the one we already have available.
What new features for Windows 11?
As we told you when discussing the Windows interface, the operating system lacks logic and continuity in its experience because of new features that have been added and that sometimes duplicate already existing features.
One of the most striking examples is, of course, the coexistence of Settings and Control Panel, both of which allow access to options and menus that give the user choices to customize their experience. Finally, Windows 11 should eliminate the ageing Control Panel, which will have done its time. Its disappearance has been prepared for many years already, and it has gradually lost its importance throughout the updates in favour of the Parameters.
In the system settings, it will be possible to know which applications consume the most battery on laptop, like what is done on Android and iOS, to better master the autonomy of his computer.
Microsoft is also said to be working on improving the experience of managing windows and multitasking and multi-screen uses. The tool to anchor windows in the interface, present since Windows 7, will be optimized to place windows side by side or in the corners with automatic resizing. It should even be possible to anchor windows to a second screen without leaving the first with the mouse.
Also, different virtual desktops can be displayed on each of the screens connected to the computer for better productivity. For now, it is only possible to say the same virtual desktop on all screens.
