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We wrote an article last year recommending most people wait before upgrading to Windows 11. We know several readers would like an update, so here it is.
Rather then review Windows 11, the purpose of this is to update our comments which were based on concerns we had about Windows 11 being somewhat problematic for some people in early release.
The Summary:
While Windows 11 is becoming less of a risk, it is still early days and there are still people experiencing issues.
Functions announced in June 2021 have still not yet appeared, and it has not been universally well received.
There have also been complaints online about how hard Microsoft is pushing its new Edge browser and Teams.
GTB is still holding off upgrading any of our business clients unless they specifically want Windows 11. This is very much in keeping with what the majority of industry commentators are also advising.
We are waiting to see what happens after the first major update to Windows 11 is released in August 2022. This update may fix issues and introduce many features to make it more attractive.
The Good News
Windows 11 does take a step forward from Windows 10. It is clearly designed to help improve things for hybrid workers. It comes comes with a sleek aesthetic, reorganised Start menu and a new look Taskbar. Under the bonnet it is built for today’s security and integrates more comprehensively with Microsoft Teams.
In short, there are some good features, but for many SME businesses, they probably won’t be crucial.
It depends what you want?
Most of our clients, more than anything else, want their computers to work reliably and their staff to be able to use them happily and productively, more than they want new features.
Whether you upgrade to Windows 11 at this time depends on whether you see value in the additional features, versus the risk of getting into a product that may cause you issues (for ‘issues’ read ‘time and money’).
It also depends upon when you are ready to introduce the new look format to your team. This will be a change for your team, and as always some will respond and adapt better than others, and some will need additional support. Keep in mind that Windows 11 will not run on older or less powerful computers.
So, if you just want to get on with it and get the new Windows 11 experience, then sure, do it! You may not have any issues at all.
As a home user or micro business, you have less risk, especially if you are comfortable putting up with some issues or fixing them yourself.
But if you have staff who depend on their computers, then think twice, at least for another few months.
Please feel free to contact us for updates on this and other IT issues.
