Windows 11 Images Leak Out; New OS Seems To Feature A Fresh Redesign

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 15 June 2021, 05:06 pm

Windows 11 has been repeatedly teased during the past few days, and now, it seems like some screenshots of the upcoming OS from Microsoft have surfaced online.

CNET reports that a Twitter user who goes by the handle @Tom Warren has shared a few images of what he claims is Windows 11. And if the still-unofficial images are to be believed, they feature a radical redesign from Windows 10. It is said that these screenshots were first posted on a Chinese website called Baidu:

here's a first look at Windows 11. There's a new Start menu, rounded corners, a new startup sound, and more https://t.co/VDS08QPsl5 pic.twitter.com/OkCyX3TtmI
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 15, 2021

The biggest visual change seems to be the MacOS-like layout of the taskbar and its icons, which were situated in the middle. There's also a brand-new look for the Start menu, as well as a new startup sound and home screen. Despite the MacOS-like layouts, though, it looks like Windows 11 will have more or less the same default color palette as its predecessor.

The Verge also reports that several elements of the redesigned UI and Start menu are quite reminiscent of what was found in Windows 10X, a proposed "lighter" version of Windows 10 that was scrapped earlier this year. When that project was called off, it was said that a good number of its features will be rolled out on the next OS, which seems like the case here.

Aside from that, it also looks like the recently added "News and Interests" feature is more fleshed out, according to TechPowerUp. The aforementioned feature was one of the newest updates that Microsoft rolled out for Windows 10 recently, though it didn't seem "complete", which prompted many users to look for a way to turn it off.

Windows 11 Coming Soon

Microsoft has repeatedly been hinting at a supposed "next generation of Windows" during the past few weeks. While there's no word that the next OS will be called Windows 11, it's what people are calling it so far, especially with Windows 10 on the way out.

(Photo : Eva HAMBACH / AFP)
A Microsoft logo adorns a building in Chevy Chase, Maryland on May 19, 2021. - Microsoft said it is retiring Internet Explorer, the browser it created more than 25 years and which is now largely abandoned as people instead use competitors like Google's Chrome or Apple's Safari.

For those who still don't know, Microsoft has actually revealed a year for Windows 10's end-of-life: 2025, which is 10 years after the operating system's launch back in 2015. Considering how the jump from 7 to 10 only took six years, Windows 11 took a bit longer than normal. But perhaps it is for the best.

Microsoft is slated to reveal the next iteration of their world-spanning operating system on June 24, which is quite close. The event will serve as the company's direct answer to Apple's WWDC, which only recently concluded. But aside from all the rumors surrounding the next generation of Windows, there really isn't much known about the OS itself.

What Can Users Expect?

Come June 24, Microsoft should really bring out the big guns if they want people to see a credible reason to upgrade. Windows 10 was fine, though it was no stranger to a myriad of bugs and functionalities which were removed at the last minute. With the UI redesign, however, there might be more to Windows 11 than just a fresh coat of paint.

This is still pure speculation at this point, but perhaps the OS will be focusing a lot on improving its capabilities as a multimedia creation tool. Remember what people say about MacOS being better for creatives? With that Mac-like layout, maybe Microsoft is taking notes and becoming more competitive in the workplace space. But nobody will know until the day of the reveal comes.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce