The official release date for Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system has been announced on the Windows Experience blog. The new version of Windows will become available for compatible Windows 10 devices and preloaded on devices such as PCs and laptops from 5th October 2021.
We are thrilled to announce Windows 11 will start to become available on October 5, 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will start to become available for purchase.
Microsoft is planning a phased rollout and estimates that it will take until mid-2022 before all eligible Windows 10 devices receive the upgrade via Windows Updates. New devices will be offered the upgrade first and it will then gradually become available to other eligible devices.
VERDICT:
It seems to me that the release of Windows 11 has been rushed somewhat, possibly under pressure from manufacturers who are obviously keen to boost sales. One only has to look through the list of known issues included in the announcement covering the latest Insider Preview build to understand that this latest build is far from ready for mass consumption. With no fewer than 23 known issues currently, many of which are critical, it is fairly obvious that there is still a LOT of work to be done.
Many users will be tempted to upgrade eligible machines asap — human nature. However, I would advise a wait-and-see approach… wait until it has been confirmed that Windows 11 is more or less bug-free. And definitely create a system image backup prior to upgrading.
Microsoft Kicking Windows 11 Insiders With Ineligible PCs Back To Windows 10
Microsoft has been allowing users to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware via the Insider Program. However, that is now changing with those users who took advantage of the offer now starting to receive a warning that they are no longer eligible:
“Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please install Windows 10 to participate in the Windows Insider Program in the Release Preview Channel.”
At present, it is not clear what will happen if users choose to ignore the advice, but it seems most likely they will not receive any more Insider updates, a similar threat to not offering updates for those who install Windows 11 via ISO on unsupported hardware.
Apparently, Satya Nadella is writing a new book titled “How to lose friends and alienate people“. 🙂 He is obviously well qualified.
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I’ll just keep W10 running for as long as I can.
I jumped onto Windows 10 when it first came out, only to revert back to 8.1 several months later. About 2 years ago, after a motherboard upgrade I was forced to use 10 on another computer. As luck would have it, I had to replace another computer which came with a preloaded with 10.
Will definitely wait till 10 gets phased out before I install 11. Just getting to enjoy 10 (the one that was supposed to last forever), Mindblower!
Thanks Jim,
The time has come for Microsoft to stop allowing apprentices to play around with the production of an Operating System.
Many years ago, as we know, a new car with many faults was called a Lemon, so a new logo for Microsoft should be a lemon with a capital M in the middle.
Jonno.
😉