Friday, December 3rd 2021

Windows 11 a Flop, Survey Claims Less Than 1% Upgraded, Microsoft Improves Start Menu

Microsoft Windows 11, now nearing its third month since release, is for all intents and purposes, a flop. Market research by Lansweeper, which surveyed over 10 million PCs across the commercial and personal market segments, reports that less than 0.21% of the users it surveyed, had upgraded from Windows 10 to the newer operating system. The upgrade is free of charge. There may be several factors contributing to this lukewarm market response, but one of them is certain to he the steep hardware requirements. Windows 11 requires a trusted platform module (TPM 2.0), which disqualifies PCs older than 2018 for upgrades, unless the user is willing to try out workarounds to the limitation. Another factor could be the clunky user interface (UI), a less functional Start menu than Windows 10, and several UI-related bugs.

According to Lansweeper's data, there could be more people running outdated Windows XP, Vista, Windows 8, etc., than Windows 11, and this poses a great security risk, as these operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft for regular security updates. Windows 10, on the other hand, is eligible for them until mid-2025—plenty of time for people to upgrade hardware to meet Windows 11 system requirements, or to simply make up their mind on switching over to the new operating system. In related news, Microsoft could give the Windows 11 Start menu a functional update. Test build 22509 introduces the ability to add more pins to the menu, or make room for more recommendations. The UI could see many such minor updates.
Sources: Tech Radar PRO, HotHardware
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393 Comments on Windows 11 a Flop, Survey Claims Less Than 1% Upgraded, Microsoft Improves Start Menu

#51
Calmmo
zlobbyOnly that Steam stats count only for the store platform users. Steam users are a small number of all machines running Windows. Simple mafs. :)
Not quite as small as you're making it out to be, but yeah sorry to break the 2 pages of shitposting!
Posted on Reply
#52
SN2716057
I've upgraded my VR&HT-PC and my laptop, and both work just fine. I've also upgraded the laptops of my mum an dad and I haven't heard them complain.

However I haven't updated my main system yet as I work with a lot of files, and the folder previews are godsend.
Posted on Reply
#53
bug
ChomiqMS lacks vision required to design a new OS from scratch and what we get instead are botched attempts at merging multiple branches over code that's been there for decades. They had UI designed for tablets, then someone saw a screenshot of this or a demo and said "Ok, let's put this in 11" without considering how will it work on regular displays that are 1080p or even lower res. Once eleven got released someone else decided that Office 365 needs to have the same type of design applied to it so now actual real estate when using any office app is greatly reduced because everything is 40% bigger.
I could design better UI in Paint.
Before:

After:

And you could still shave off lots of useless pixels that are there simply because UI is to be used on a touchscreen. That stupid top bar always has Icon, search bar and maybe filename. Why the hell does it have to take so much desktop real estate?
It's in their DNA. For years, Microsoft had this cop-out, where they would hide lack of meaningful improvements behind a shiny new UI (basically exactly the opposite of what Apple does). It seems this has survived Mr Nadela's overhaul of the company.

Seriously, take the UI out of the equation and try to find a single useful thing about 11. And I mean useful for the end user, because the "account required" is useful, but only for Microsoft - more data for them to mine.
CalmmoSteam hardware survey says otherwise. Higher than you'd think in such a short amount of time.

Could it be that gamers aren't representative of all Windows users?
Hell, enterprise alone will throw a monkey wrench into those stats, I'm sure you can still find some running Win7 or 8.
Posted on Reply
#54
rutra80
I use to think that MS is like that prodigy kid with inferiority complex. It has a crush on those dumb but good looking Apples and Androids (and now also on that nerd Linux) and tries to imitate them, instead of appreciating his own crowd and following its expectations. It could very well set the trends, it actually did, but then always withdrawn and disappointed his fellows. It's like Windows' parents don't know what it is and try to make it something else than it strongly really is...
Switching back and forth from colourful to monochrome UI? Making desktop and server os touch driven? Getting great UI "out of the way" with tiny hiding scroll bars and by removing all visible divisions to sections, like everyone has Asperger? Total chaos. Like there's no long term strategy or insight into the past.
I suspect that there's a lot of rotation inside MS and it gets infected with people who at home use Macs, talk with their colleagues via Android phones, and the only thing they have in common with Windows is that they develop it on Linux :(
Posted on Reply
#55
cyneater
Maybe if they didn't break or have sexy fingers and really break the start menu in windows 10 they wouldn't need windows 11.

Just make a win 7 theme for 10 fixed. Now ill have $1million thanks
Posted on Reply
#56
Chomiq
bugCould it be that gamers aren't representative of all Windows users?
Hell, enterprise alone will throw a monkey wrench into those stats, I'm sure you can still find some running Win7 or 8.
Yeah, one of our big pharma clients is still using Windows 7 PC's to run software designed for specific instruments. They don't update those unless manufacturer sends in a new machine for replacement and that one has new software that requires new operating system.
Posted on Reply
#57
AusWolf
Calmmosorry to break the 2 pages of shitposting!
Everybody cries about the UI. Whether you're a fan of it or not, let's be honest - there's barely anything else that Windows 11 offers over 10 at the moment. At least I can't name anything from the top of my head. This is exactly the problem, imo: Windows 11 is essentially Windows 10 with a (badly executed) UI overhaul and a TPM 2.0 requirement. Who needed this, honestly?
Posted on Reply
#58
darksf
Well no surprise here. I was waiting for something from microsoft to convince me to switch from Windows 7 to a newer OS but it seems more and more that I will switch to linux. I've been playing around with Intel's Clear Linux(funny enough runs equaly good on both Intel and AMD platforms unlike W11) so far in a VM envirionment but I think I'm ready to make the hustle and put it on bare metal. Funny thing is that it might actually have better support through 3rd party tools for ages old game titles than windows 10. Yes most of the time is not just click and install but have any of you recently tried to install NFS Porsche on anything different than Windows 98 :D

Windows 98 - kinda ok
Windows 98SE - much better
Windows ME - it was good but there were more blue screens in general than 98SE
Windows 2000 - It was a rock solid OS never had a crash but at the time there was barely any software that supported but this improved with the introduction of XP
Windows XP - well it was heavy and buggy SP1 improved stability SP2 imporved it further and made it a bit faster , SP3 made it lightning fast.
Windows 2003 - very fast compared to XP SP1 used it for 3 years as my main OS
Vista - well what to say it was way too heavy for most of the HW at the time , the new driver model and no backward compability with legacy hardware was just the final nail in the coffin of Vista. People were paying to downgrade them to XP
Windows 7 - my sunshine almost as fast as XP SP3 , stable , modern UI yet everything was in place,backward compatible with lot's of stuff , people switched really fast to it , it was and it is that good!
Windows 8 - never gave it a chance , too much UI changes that I did not like and no appearent reason for me to switch.
Windows 8.1 - I put it on one convertible touch laptop/tablet Thinkpad x220t and I it was definetly fast , the UI was kinda almost back to Win7 except the fullscreen start menu , I was just about to give it a chance at my main rig and Win10 came out and now Windows 8.1 is less supported than Windows 7

Win 10 - what to say - I don't like the idea of having MS tracking everything , I don't like how much RAM it sucks for nothing , I don't like the sudden updates that happen some times even with windows update swtiched off! I had troubles with different softwares after couple of MS updates. Some settings reverted , driver issues with legacy hardware. It just won't do for my main rig. I have it in my office , i have it on one machine at home , that I mostly use as a NAS and a network printer.

Win 11 - well it is just a 10 with a nice new cover , UI seems kinda good but yet i prefer W7 classic UI , and the minimum HW spec because of security reasons is just a bummer and big show stopper to the adoption of this new OS given the fact how expensive is the hardware this days.
Posted on Reply
#59
Bwaze
I am really struggling to see what is the idea behind some choices in Windows 11.

Explorer context menu reduction - what is that all about? Who gains anything from that? Yeah, it can become bloated with many programs adding their own options - so add a simple way of editing it, maybe?

Or new, mostly empty "Start" menu...

Everything looks like there are groups with different ideas on what UI should look like that are battling each other, and the winner gets to design a particular section of operating system.
Posted on Reply
#60
noel_fs
problem is the whole UI is a half cooked pie, its unusuable. lots of things that took 2 clicks with 10 now with 11 take 4, taskbar has been ruined, there is not even vertical taskbar.
Posted on Reply
#61
R0H1T
bugwhere they would hide lack of meaningful improvements behind a shiny new UI (basically exactly the opposite of what Apple does).
Except when it's not broke don't fix it! Windows has been arguably the more superior platform to Mac for eons, you don't want to break it just because someone likes or doesn't like the new UI :shadedshu:
Posted on Reply
#62
noel_fs
darksfWell no surprise here. I was waiting for something from microsoft to convince me to switch from Windows 7 to a newer OS but it seems more and more that I will switch to linux. I've been playing around with Intel's Clear Linux(funny enough runs equaly good on both Intel and AMD platforms unlike W11) so far in a VM envirionment but I think I'm ready to make the hustle and put it on bare metal. Funny thing is that it might actually have better support through 3rd party tools for ages old game titles than windows 10. Yes most of the time is not just click and install but have any of you recently tried to install NFS Porsche on anything different than Windows 98 :D

Windows 98 - kinda ok
Windows 98SE - much better
Windows ME - it was good but there were more blue screens in general than 98SE
Windows 2000 - It was a rock solid OS never had a crash but at the time there was barely any software that supported but this improved with the introduction of XP
Windows XP - well it was heavy and buggy SP1 improved stability SP2 imporved it further and made it a bit faster , SP3 made it lightning fast.
Windows 2003 - very fast compared to XP SP1 used it for 3 years as my main OS
Vista - well what to say it was way too heavy for most of the HW at the time , the new driver model and no backward compability with legacy hardware was just the final nail in the coffin of Vista. People were paying to downgrade them to XP
Windows 7 - my sunshine almost as fast as XP SP3 , stable , modern UI yet everything was in place,backward compatible with lot's of stuff , people switched really fast to it , it was and it is that good!
Windows 8 - never gave it a chance , too much UI changes that I did not like and no appearent reason for me to switch.
Windows 8.1 - I put it on one convertible touch laptop/tablet Thinkpad x220t and I it was definetly fast , the UI was kinda almost back to Win7 except the fullscreen start menu , I was just about to give it a chance at my main rig and Win10 came out and now Windows 8.1 is less supported than Windows 7

Win 10 - what to say - I don't like the idea of having MS tracking everything , I don't like how much RAM it sucks for nothing , I don't like the sudden updates that happen some times even with windows update swtiched off! I had troubles with different softwares after couple of MS updates. Some settings reverted , driver issues with legacy hardware. It just won't do for my main rig. I have it in my office , i have it on one machine at home , that I mostly use as a NAS and a network printer.

Win 11 - well it is just a 10 with a nice new cover , UI seems kinda good but yet i prefer W7 classic UI , and the minimum HW spec because of security reasons is just a bummer and big show stopper to the adoption of this new OS given the fact how expensive is the hardware this days.
agree pretty much with everything but my fav is 8.1, so fucking fast while having basically a modern win7 UI, start menu wasnt that big of a deal i rarely use it.

Win 11, UI seems nice but its horrible in practice.

Also, they should stick to win7 control panel or switch it altogher instead of going piece by piece making a mess.
Posted on Reply
#63
dyonoctis
bugIt's in their DNA. For years, Microsoft had this cop-out, where they would hide lack of meaningful improvements behind a shiny new UI (basically exactly the opposite of what Apple does). It seems this has survived Mr Nadela's overhaul of the company.

Seriously, take the UI out of the equation and try to find a single useful thing about 11. And I mean useful for the end user, because the "account required" is useful, but only for Microsoft - more data for them to mine.


Could it be that gamers aren't representative of all Windows users?
Hell, enterprise alone will throw a monkey wrench into those stats, I'm sure you can still find some running Win7 or 8.
Multiscreen memory ? a more intuitive way to choose a layout to fit several windows on one screen ? The Bluetooth panel is less painful to use ? The sounds settings are finally unified ? It's not much, but win 11 did have a few qol adjustment.
rutra80I use to think that MS is like that prodigy kid with inferiority complex. It has a crush on those dumb but good looking Apples and Androids (and now also on that nerd Linux) and tries to imitate them, instead of appreciating his own crowd and following its expectations. It could very well set the trends, it actually did, but then always withdrawn and disappointed his fellows. It's like Windows' parents don't know what it is and try to make it something else than it strongly really is...
Switching back and forth from colourful to monochrome UI? Making desktop and server os touch driven? Getting great UI "out of the way" with tiny hiding scroll bars and by removing all visible divisions to sections, like everyone has Asperger? Total chaos. Like there's no long term strategy or insight into the past.
I suspect that there's a lot of rotation inside MS and it gets infected with people who at home use Macs, talk with their colleagues via Android phones, and the only thing they have in common with Windows is that they develop it on Linux :(
Windows 2000 to XP to vista was also a big switch in design . Microsoft is also starting to feel the weight of the "One OS for all". MacOs know what it is : a desktop OS IpadOS is a touch Os. Both platform have apps designed specifically for them. MacOS isn't schizophrenic like Windows, when they are doing a UI overhaul they meant it, and they get through with it.

Microsoft can't do that, because nobody want a windows that cannot do "classic windows" stuff, so they have to develop an "hybrid OS, to rule them all." Now you might say "but how many actually own and enjoy touchscreen laptops ?" seeing at how OEM (and Microsoft himself) keep making 2-in1 laptops it seems that people are buying them, and as long as they do, Microsoft will keep making an hybrid OS.
Posted on Reply
#64
zlobby
CalmmoNot quite as small as you're making it out to be, but yeah sorry to break the 2 pages of shitposting!
Do you have an idea how many office PC and home PC don't run Steam at all? Steam may have millions of installs but that's still nowhere near to the total amount of PC worldwide. Again, simple mafs.
Posted on Reply
#65
Bubster
Windows 11 is faster than 10 in a lot of ways with the right tweaks and disabling lots of bloatware like xbox and bing and widgets... Especially with a 12 gen cpu and low latency ram and a couple of pcie gen 4 ssds. tried it in both amd and intel and it is indeed faster and more responsive
Posted on Reply
#66
Ravenas
I really can't stand how they got rid of the background apps menu. They are trying to force an encumbrance on people who want to limit the amount of background apps.

You are now made to go to add/remove programs menu, and then check every individual app to see it's permissions.
Posted on Reply
#67
zlobby
noel_fsagree pretty much with everything but my fav is 8.1, so fucking fast while having basically a modern win7 UI, start menu wasnt that big of a deal i rarely use it.

Win 11, UI seems nice but its horrible in practice.

Also, they should stick to win7 control panel or switch it altogher instead of going piece by piece making a mess.
M$ couldn't get all settings in one place for over a decade! This alone speaks enough.
Posted on Reply
#68
noel_fs
dyonoctisMultiscreen memory ? a more intuitive way to choose a layout to fit several windows on one screen ? The Bluetooth panel is less painful to use ? The sounds settings are finally unified ? It's not much, but win 11 did have a few qol adjustment.
It made a few qol improvements while ruining a lot of other qol aspects, thats what microsoft does every time in a cycle, probably in 2/3 years there will be an usable win11 version but for now its a pain in the ass.
Posted on Reply
#69
R0H1T
It's hardly unusable, if you're fine with win10 it isn't that big of a deal.
Posted on Reply
#70
Pilgrim
I ran the beta for three months, it's a stupid piece of shit.
Posted on Reply
#71
Speedyblupi
LabRat 891Windows 11 is basically Windows 10.1, ala Win8-8.1.
I don't recall either 8 or 8.1 being well liked or popular.
When I worked retail tech in the 8-8.1 era, almost every new PC customer wanted Windows 7; some even paid us to 'downgrade' their purchase to Windows 7.
It really doesn't surprise me that 11 is a non-starter.
8.1 was basically a fixed version of 8, which put back the start menu and other features that had been removed. 8.1 wasn't great because its performance sucked, but it wasn't unusable like 8 was.
Windows 11 isn't fixing anything that was broken in Windows 10, it's just better optimised for hybrid CPUs and removed or obfuscated a bunch of features.
Windows 11 is to Windows 10 as Windows 8 was to Windows 7 (though not quite as bad), or as Vista was to XP.

My windows top 11:
XP
7
98
10
95
8.1
2000
Vista
11
Me
8
Posted on Reply
#72
Lycanwolfen
Windows 11 is another Windows 8 in my point of view. The biggest problem MS did with Windows 8 is not follow consistency in there platform. Windows 10 fixed that. In windows 11 you notice in the settings tabs now there is no simple left hand scroll for all the options. No simple option for turning off background apps or other things for security reasons. Now in Windows 11 you have to click on every app and goto advanced then find run in background to turn it off. This is very counter productive. The kernal is actually pretty awesome in Windows 11 as I made a PE of it and wow the whole thing was small just under 300 MB. But of course the engineers make a great Kernal but then the software guys bloat it all to hell and make it so unfunctional. Now some People say they love the new Edge well its nothing but chromium with a Microsoft Logo. The problem is they again intergrated it into everything. Also first time you open it nothing but advertising. When will MS get it we all hate it.

I'm quite sure MS will fix it with 11.1 or 12 just like they had too with windows 8. You have to follow consistency and context. Stop trying to copy Apple MAC OSX.

If Microsoft really wanted to make a MACOSX clone then release a MS Unix, otherwise its just more bells and whistles.
Posted on Reply
#73
Chomiq
R0H1TIt's hardly unusable, if you're fine with win10 it isn't that big of a deal.
You sound like MS rep ;)
Posted on Reply
#74
etayorius
It was expected with all those hardware requirements.
Posted on Reply
#75
Lycanwolfen
I personally Just Upgraded to Windows 10 LTSC 2021. Guess what you could uninstall Edge :). It took me a while to remove windows defender but it was all in gpedit.msc just hidden deeper. Was also able to remove the stupid firewall prompt after I turn it off. I really do not need a software firewall when My hardware firewall does the trick. I turned off all telemetry tracking in group policies. Got it to work good too. I bought 3 licenses of LTSC 2021 and will be working on my gaming box soon with it.
Posted on Reply
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