Windows 11 is Already, on Multiple Levels, a Failure

All the reasons why, rated from disappointing to frustrating to unacceptable

Windows 11 is now deployed in millions of PCs around the world: did it manage to overcome its disastrous pre-launch period and deliver on Microsoft’s promises? (Image: Microsoft)

It’s been almost a month since Microsoft officially released its latest operating system for personal computers, Windows 11, to the public and — now that the dust has settled, more or less — we can all take a step back and make an assessment of the Redmond giant’s efforts regarding this product. To note that the successor to Windows 10 had a bumpy ride for months on end, for a variety of reasons, would be an understatement. All of which had to do, unquestioningly, with Microsoft’s choices. The new operating system is now in the open, though, reviewed by many outlets, tested by many consumers in real-world use cases (both on new PCs and on upgraded ones), benchmarked, analyzed and commented upon.

Windows 11 is now a known quantity. It is also a failure by any metric that matters.

Both as a successor to Windows 10 and as an operating system regardless of everything else, this new version of Windows had a set of specific goals to achieve. To launch at an acceptable level of quality. To offer some tangible performance improvements (on modern machines at the very least). To bring to the table a number of new features worth upgrading for. In short, to be a meaningful step forward for…