Opinion: Windows 11 System Requirements Actually Make Sense
Windows 11 is About Security. Financial Security.
Microsoft. The name conjures up images of former CEOs jumping over chairs, insane corporate cheerleading caught on video, and – oh yeah, the operating system running on the vast majority of personal computers the world over. And they have launched important consumer hardware products, too; Zune, Kin, and some game console box thing that connects to a TV.
Getting back to operating systems, you may have heard that Microsoft is now in the midst of preparing the updated version of Windows 10 that they have chosen to call Windows 11. And if a MacOS-inspired UI facelift isn’t enough for you, MS has decided to copy Apple’s T2 hardware integration, too! But that’s a proprietary chip, so they used TPM 2.0 instead. Why not make the older TPM 1.2 the minimum requirement? Because Apple’s is not called “T1.2”, that’s why.
Say it ain’t so!
Don’t worry, they pulled the tool and may change the system requirements after all. Also, I’m just being snarky and don’t actually have PROOF that Microsoft has a hard-on for Apple. I’m just making assumptions based on… the obvious. And speaking of the obvious, MS is going to have to lower Windows 11 system requirements to push adoption, since average people are not going to understand what a “TPM” is, let alone how to install one (if they could even find one in the burgeoning TPM 2.0 scalping market).
But wait! I’m missing the most obvious point of all: forget the snarky nonsense above, the TPM 2.0 requirement isn’t (or soon to be wasn’t?) about matching Apple’s OS security along with their centered dock/start menu look, it was about selling MORE LICENSES as a free update like this wouldn’t bring in any revenue (other than all the money they make tracking everything you do) for existing Windows 10 users.
I don’t think Windows 11’s ridiculous hardware requirements are (were?) some conspiracy with hardware manufacturers, but Microsoft obviously benefits from new Windows OS computer sales as they get their cut off every one of them. In the end it’s pretty obvious why they’d want to require a new PC, huh?
If they truly need/want money, why don’t they offer it as a $49 upgrade for existing users (ONE TIME purchase, not a subscription!) and make some scratch and let us nerds upgrade existing hardware? Forcing a full computer upgrade (for the average Joe) is retarded. There’s no way I’m replacing three machines just to ‘upgrade’ to Win11, though I would pay $150 without too much barking.
Windows XP was a $99 upgrade, and that did pretty well.
I think this is two-fold. They’re, once again, trying to get users off the Start Button (ala Windows 8) and trying to coax Mac users into their eco-system.
If you don’t want Mac OS Windows, then don’t upgrade and stay on Windows 10. (for now)
If you’re tried of the Apple non-sense (and there is a lot of it), then come try Microsoft’s Version. The Surface is a great platform!
There is also the fact M$ is fighting another war with Play Station and all the money they’re throwing at XBoX Live. Windows 10 updates have been free and getting the upgrade revenue won’t solve that money problem but will help.
“And they have launched important consumer hardware products, too; Zune, Kin”…. LOL
Xbox they get credit for though…
I can see it now Apple will try to sue Microsoft once again for trying to copy them
One word: Linux
^This
Two words, Linux mint. Arch Linux, etc… dual boot for some games.
With all the issues they had with Windows 8 being forced to run on old hardware (and then not running well). By the time Windows 10 was released, with basically the exact same drivel model and system requirements, old hardware had worked its way almost entirely out of the ecosystem. For 11, their choice was either
– Not release an OS, and wait for newer hardware to slowly trickle out
– Enforce strict minimum requirements, so your choice is either use hardware that can run it well, or not at all.
With the required TPM being available built into CPUs at least 7 years old, sympathy hovers around the same level as that of the people who decry Windows 10 because of “Microsoft reading all of my documents!!1!”, and demand they can continue to use Windows 7 (with Microsoft still supposedly reading their documents, because performance telemetry was just as present then too): if you truly feel that way, Linux is over there.