I’ve always been confused by Microsoft’s naming convention, no more so than with its operating systems. Windows versions began with a mixture of numbers and years, then moved to names (e.g. XP and Vista), then back to numbers again. And the Windows 12 that everyone anticipated, including yours truly, instead became Windows 11 24H2.
Why Windows 11 24H2 Should Be ‘Windows 11 AI’
This latest version of Windows 11 (24H2) is not only heavily slanted toward AI but installation also involves a “full code swap”, meaning that a whole new operating system is being installed over the top of the existing operating system.
In my opinion, that transition should have been marked with a new and distinct name… “Windows 11 AI“… to clearly define the move to a new era of Windows and differentiate between the old and the new.
Personally, I believe that Microsoft’s emphasis on AI is a tad premature. The only machines that are capable of taking advantage of the new AI-driven features right now are Copilot+ PCs which are currently limited to laptops only. Sure, Copilot+ Desktop PCs are in the pipeline, but why not wait until the number of new Copilot+ PCs in use warrants such a massive change?
I don’t know exact numbers, of course, but I’d estimate that possibly as many as 80-90% of Windows users are still running traditional PCs without the all-important NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and, as I’ve pointed out in earlier articles, the new and improved features in Windows 11 24H2 are predominantly AI-driven and exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.
There is very little in 24H2 for traditional PC users and yet those users are being forced to install this new Windows 11 version, even though it does virtually nothing to enhance their Windows experience.
- You also might like: StartAllBack VS Start 11
BOTTOM LINE:
Personally, I can get by quite nicely without AI, thank you. I could be wrong but, in my opinion, these AI-driven features will probably be appreciated by a niche group of users with specific demands while the majority of your average home users couldn’t give a hoot about AI.
What do you think? Are you eager to employ the new AI features or happy to continue without them?
—
More than happy to do without AI.
For most average users, it is a waste of space and time.
I’m running Windows 11 Pro 24H2. I have no interest in playing with AI and none of my computers have NPUs. Using Group Policy CoPilot is not on my computers.
I have a Microsoft 365 subscription and CoPilot is disabled for Office apps as well.
I switched from using Windows Home to Windows Pro starting with Windows 7 because I wanted to use Bitlocker and have stuck with Windows Pro versions since. For me anyways, it has been worth the additional cost specifying the Pro versions of Windows when replacing machines. Until recently it was a matter of $60-70 more than the same machine with Windows Home. Now, it is more like $100.
Group Policy can give me more control over how Windows behaves.
“Group Policy can give me more control over how Windows behaves.”
Agreed! Access to Windows Sandbox and Hyper-V is also a must for me.
Always interesting and informative Articles, Jim. I’ve 24H2 on this laptop close to a month now, and no plumes of colored smoke flowing out through the vents… yet. Being less than a novice, I really didn’t pay much attention to the 24H2 thing.
The only weird thing I saw recently, was the Taskbar freezing up once and when I went into TaskManager to unfreeze it, that also was froze. It’s weird because in this particular case, my other programs continued working. Plus, as I was galloping around attempting to find another way to unfreeze, it decided to fix itself and all has been functioning within normal parameters since. This of course is not related to this laptop, for I’ve been enjoying that (plus once a month system freezes) with my previous unit. As to Copilot, I think I have used that maybe twice.
Hey Nicke,
That is a strange issue indeed. Usually when a freeze occurs it’s system wide. It sounds like there might be a problem with Windows Explorer. Have you installed any 3rd-party customization apps?
This article might help: https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-diagnose-pc-issues-using-shellexview/
No third party customization apps, Jim. Doing a search for Taskmanager freeing, it seems to be a common issue.
I’ve had some weird things happening with my previous laptop (once a month freezes) which could not be overcome, even with replacement of the motherboard / SSD / RAM. I’m hoping this replacement laptop isn’t going the same way. But that’s too long a story, so I’ll see if this Taskbar freezing happens again.
I’ll check the link you’ve given, which by the way, is appreciated.
Typical Microsoft – pushing something most people can’t use and don’t want anyway!
Spot on! I could not have put it better Allan.