Windows 11 is being unveiled today, for real this time
Alright Cortana, I'll have a chat with you just this once
Microsoft are hosting a livestream this afternoon that will officially unveil Windows 11, the next operating system in a line of operating systems named after an opening that lets in a passage of light, air, and flies.
The Windows 11 reveal stream is going live at 11am ET, which is 4pm BST for those of us in the UK. You can watch it over on Microsoft's event page.
Technically, this isn't the first time we've seen Windows 11. Only a couple of weeks ago, an early build of the OS leaked online and folks had a poke around its innards.
From those Windows 11 leaks, it looks like the taskbar's changing quite a bit. The app icons are centered by default, but you can pop it back on the left side if you'd like. The Start menu also doesn't have "Live Tiles" anymore, which are those boxes in Windows 10 which flip about with nuggets of info on the news or the weather. I will not miss them.
A new icon in the Windows 11 taskbar also suggests Windows Widgets are making a return. Click on it, and you'll see a panel slide out with boxes on the weather and the news and other things. Hang on a second, aren't these just Live Tiles stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat?
Windows 11 also features rounded corners throughout, a dark theme, and new controls from the maximise button that lets you quickly snap windows side by side or arrange them neatly on your desktop. That last bit I'm all for, as I've grown weary of tabs splitting unevenly when I drag one into the side of my screen.
Honestly, I'll probably be happy with most Windows 11 changes, or largely indifferent. So long as they're not going down the sash route. I had sash windows in my old place and yes they looked nice, but my god did it get cold in the winter.