Windows 11 - Feature Update 1 - Out Now! - Here is everything you need to know:

[GoodBytes]

Windows 11 update releases has changed  compared to previous version of Windows. Windows 11 has the ability to update user front facing elements separately from the back. This allows Microsoft to deliver smaller user experience improvements while not having users wait 6 months or like in Windows 11 case, a year, to get the improvements.  

 

This decoupling will show its face next month. Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, has announced that next month, Microsoft will push to user a feature update to all users which will bring new improvements to users.

 

Quote

Next month we're bringing new experiences to Windows that include a public preview of how you can use Android apps on Windows 11 through the Microsoft Store and our partnerships with Amazon and Intel, taskbar improvements with call mute and unmute, easier window sharing and bringing weather to the taskbar, plus the introduction of two new redesigned apps, Notepad and Media Player.

 

What's expected?

The following are expected updated, based on what was revealed initially with Windows 11 but didn't make it.

• Android app support (Beta). Currently this features was reserved to those in the Insider program who resides in the US. So now it will open to more people.
  
   
• Universal Mute and Unmute microphone button on the system tray (will show up when an app is using the microphone). Note: Applications will need to add support for it. So far Microsoft Teams has it implemented. With unsupported apps, the microphone button will just jump you the Microsoft privacy option panel under Settings.
  
  
   
• Quick Window Share with Teams button appear under thumbnails on the taskbar (will only appear when doing a call in Teams). The button will show under thumbnail preview.
  Left image: not in a call
  Right image: in a call
   
   
• System clock will now appear on the taskbar on your secondary displays
   
• Weather on the taskbar will return if you center align it (This replaces the Widget button. Clicking/Rolling-over on the Weather will show the Widget panel):
  
  
  
  If it is left aligned, then you have only the weather condition without the temperature:
  
   
• Notepad gets a new look
  
  
  
   
• New Media Player app (replaces Groove and Movies & TV apps, but those apps are still included, so far)
  
  
  
  
   (Yes, it still supports OGG (video/audio), FLAC and MKV's same as before)

 

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/26/22902477/microsoft-windows-11-update-android-apps-preview-taskbar-notepad-media-player

Source 2: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-ship-new-taskbar-and-app-experiences-windows-11-next-month

 

It is nice to see that Microsoft won't make people wait a full year to get improvements to Windows 11.

I hope that more of them are coming. The taskbar still lacks: Smaller size option and drag and drop (moving, and show app labels too, but one thing at a time...). So I hope that in the coming month after this update it will come.

 

Another benefit from having these kind of updates separated from larger version updates, is that users in a company environment can have it in hands sooner by not having IT have the need to go through a lengthy evaluation process before delivering the update to all.

 

 

[WhitetailAni]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

Weather on the taskbar will return if you center align it (This replaces the Widget button. If you have left aligned your task bar, the Widget button returns. Clicking/Rolling-over on the Weather will show the Widget panel):


If it is left aligned, then you have only the weather condition without the temperature:

Why can't they do it like they did with 10?

It makes much more sense as you can see the full temperature no matter what

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Why can't they do it like they did with 10?

It makes much more sense as you can see the full temperature no matter what

Ah! This is because clicking on it, will open the Widget panel which would be on the opposite side of the screen.

It would not make sense to have it there, unless the widget panel was put on the right side instead of the left side. (And if they put it on the left, the swipe right to left action would conflict between the Notifications and the Widget panel)

[RockSolid1106]

[Quackers101]

ah yes, some good, some bad.
they want more consistent UI, but also break the nice to haves from windows 7-10?

Android, let me get some more RCE and malware, thanks!

[WhitetailAni]

3 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Ah! This is because clicking on it, will open the Widget panel which would be on the opposite side of the screen.

It would not make sense to have it there, unless the widget panel was put on the right side instead of the left side. (And if they put it on the left, the swipe right to left action would conflict between the Notifications and the Widget panel)

What does swipe up do?

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

What does swipe up do?

Shows the taskbar if hidden

[bmx6454]

still not adding the ability to move the taskbar to top, or side? i'm really surprised they haven't added this yet..

[jagdtigger]

When they will do actual fixes, like an actually usable start menu for desktop users?   I find it infuriating that i have to buy more paid SW to make a not so cheap OS somewhat usable....

[Distinctly Average]

4 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Windows 11 update releases has changed  compared to previous version of Windows. Windows 11 has the ability to update user front facing elements separately from the back. This allows Microsoft to deliver smaller user experience improvements while not having users wait 6 months or like in Windows 11 case, a year, to get the improvements.  

 

This decoupling will show its face next month. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Decoupling? Ability to update front facing from the back? Sounds like total marketing wank to me. This is software, you don’t have to slap a capacitor in between software elements. If you want to change a visual element you adjust the code, if you want to change how something works you tweak the code. Sounds like non technical sales people spent ages coming up with the decoupling guff.

[darknessblade]

Still missing the most important Taskbar features, that have existed since windows 95 

 

• Being able to put the Taskbar on the left or right side of the screen
• separated Volume and Wifi control
• the clock on both Taskbars when using multiple screens

[Thaldor]

3 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

When they will do actual fixes, like an actually usable start menu for desktop users?   I find it infuriating that i have to buy more paid SW to make a not so cheap OS somewhat usable....

Touch screens and tablets are the future, everyone gonna have one in couple years. Micropesoft is jsut taking the needed steps to assure they are on the very peak of the development before the big rush to tablets and touchscreens starts, they are just making sure no one will get the #1 place this time. Soon they will release their brand new and excellent in anyway cheap tablet brand "Lumia" which will make the pathway to the bright future of this new and amazing technology. Desktop computers are dead.

 

Or then Micropenis got the decade old memo that was lost in post office and forgot to look at the dates. Seriously, without any sarcasm, I wouldn't be surprised if this was Micropenises product development path, after all they did buy and without any research continue the doomed path of Nokia.

Now they try to forcefeed the Shitdows 11 to everyone and, you can quote me on this, when sufficient number of users have been gained the now silently omitted complains about the new UI will be answered with "This many people use it and so they must like it. You are wrong!".

[Doobeedoo]

Well good. Finally native dark Notepad. Now to see improved Task Manager and File Explorer would nice too. Overall good to see, just feels they could've and should've done and finished these things before release, so it doesn't feel like fragmented design updates.

[KeyperOS]

7 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

What's expected?

 

The following are expected updated, based on what was revealed initially with Windows 11 but didn't make it.

 

• System clock will now appear on the taskbar on your secondary displays

 

26 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

Still missing the most important Taskbar features, that have existed since windows 95

• the clock on both Taskbars when using multiple screens

???

[Dreckssackblase]

3 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

When they will do actual fixes, like an actually usable start menu for desktop users?   I find it infuriating that i have to buy more paid SW to make a not so cheap OS somewhat usable....

Maybe I just got too used to bad start menus, but I really don't ever seem to use it at all and haven't done so since like XP. What do you need it to do that it doesn't ? From my point of view, it could be removed completely if windows search just worked better.

[jagdtigger]

1 hour ago, Thaldor said:

Touch screens and tablets are the future

Havent seen anyone with a windows based tablet, even if i see someone with a 2in1 the screen is crystal clear (meaning they dont use the touch screen)..... This is just another false direction like WP was.

[Thaldor]

59 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

Havent seen anyone with a windows based tablet, even if i see someone with a 2in1 the screen is crystal clear (meaning they dont use the touch screen)..... This is just another false direction like WP was.

No shit. I don't think anyone else is even seriously in the tablet market than Apple, Samsung and Lenovo and all of them with mobile OS. Touchscreen laptops are almost as rare with Surface and Lenovo Yoga (Pro)-lineup and couple "flagships" here and there. Touchscreen desktops? Did these even ever take off really after the couple tryouts? Future with pocket gaming PCs, with +1000$ pricetags and the current limitations, they aren't going to be very mainstream.

 

As I said Shitdows 11 is made for a market situation decade ago when there was a boom for touchscreen this and touchscreen that. That was a decade ago and thanks for everyone bringing out the cheapest or the most expensive and nothing in the middle and almost every single one of them more gimmick than the earlier it was just a boom and we probably come back to it after another decade or two, not during Shitdows 11 active development. There will be some halo and hype products on the way but they won't become that huge thing that Shitdows 11 level of integration for touchscreens would be necessary.

[Fasterthannothing]

I actually forgot windows 11 was a thing seriously. Everything I use is still running 10. Probably won't touch 11 till 11.1 comes out.

[Lurick]

Give me the option back to never combine and show titles dang blast it!!!

 

Edit:

Yes I know I can use a third party app but if I don't want to I shouldn't need to is the point.

[Stahlmann]

8 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

When they will do actual fixes, like an actually usable start menu for desktop users?   I find it infuriating that i have to buy more paid SW to make a not so cheap OS somewhat usable....

What makes the current start menu unuseable?

Better question: Why do you use a start menu?

 

The only time i see the start menu is the split second after pressing the windows key and before i start to type and search the app i need.

I'm at a point where i'd say i can do without the start menu. They could probably remove it and i wouldn't even notice.

[Quartz11]

6 hours ago, darknessblade said:

Still missing the most important Taskbar features, that have existed since windows 95 

 

• Being able to put the Taskbar on the left or right side of the screen
• separated Volume and Wifi control
• the clock on both Taskbars when using multiple screens

Weird, all of those things are available with Windows 10, wonder why they got changed for 11.

[Kisai]

5 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

Havent seen anyone with a windows based tablet, even if i see someone with a 2in1 the screen is crystal clear (meaning they dont use the touch screen)..... This is just another false direction like WP was.

I can verify this. Every single touch-screen laptop I've ever seen, from two separate clients. Screens are spotless. I've seen more dirt/damage on some larger 17" non-touch screens where someone clearly was pointing (round finger prints, not smudges) at something on the screen, but it'll be like one muddy spot on the screen, and the rest is clean.

 

[GoodBytes]

15 minutes ago, Quartz11 said:

Weird, all of those things are available with Windows 10, wonder why they got changed for 11.

They decided to recode the taskbar from scratch.

It's not the first time Microsoft has done this, but the difference is that before Microsoft had 3 years to finish it before a release of a new version of Windows. This time, they had 1 year. 

 

Windows teams was fully focused on Windows 10X, hence why Windows 10 had little to no new features. But then with the new direction (new leader) for the company, and with the revival of the PC industry, Microsoft decided to scrap 10X and refocus itself on Windows as we know, and focus on direct consumers (us) and less focused on enterprises.

 

[darknessblade]

22 minutes ago, Quartz11 said:

Weird, all of those things are available with Windows 10, wonder why they got changed for 11.

Because just like windows 8, some idiot with only 1 braincell thought it was a Great idea to overhaul the UI without giving users any way to change it back.

 

I can guarantee you that before windows 10 is EOL, they will have bought back 99% of all missing features

[Kisai]

11 hours ago, darknessblade said:

Because just like windows 8, some idiot with only 1 braincell thought it was a Great idea to overhaul the UI without giving users any way to change it back.

 

I can guarantee you that before windows 10 is EOL, they will have bought back 99% of all missing features

Cause touch screens were impossible to use before then, only for some damn reason they thought everyone wanted startrek PADD's.

 

Look, I'll give Apple this much. The iPad itself is a very useful tool.

 

It just sucks as a productivity tool where any typing is involved. Give me a real keyboard. The touch screen works when I need to type out a tweet, not when I need to type out a 30 page document.

 

BCHydro, last time I actually saw a meter reader, was using convertible laptops on what looked like Windows XP, and they had to use a stylus to enter things on the tablet screen. 

 

Touch is 1) unreliable and 2) inaccurate. It makes for a very good presentation system. It makes for a very good portable media player. It just does not work for anything that you are constantly having to drill down on menus.

 

Which is why we've seen all this horrible UX change to touch-first. Now everything sucks to use on a desktop browser, and is only marginally more functional on a smartphone. 

 

Microsoft, just didn't see the direction the hockey puck was going and instead decided to bodycheck their own team mates. Windows 8 was a mistake, and we're still recovering from mistakes made in 8.