If you plan to be one of the many millions of gamers and workers who will move on to the new version of Windows, Windows 11, by using its free upgrade program for existing Windows 10 customers, you'll need to wait a little longer to join in. Microsoft has circled around the issue, not stating exactly when the free upgrade will be made available, but has suggested it will come after those who buy it standalone, and that the program will roll out over several months. Crucially, that's several months after the holiday season release of Windows 11 at the end of the year.
Windows 11 brings with it a number of intriguing upgrades and changes over Windows 10. It overhauls the look and feel of the longstanding operating system, improving multitasking capabilities, adding better support for multiple monitors and virtual desktop customization, and integrates more seamlessly with the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, and Android applications. It's definitely more of a tock, to Windows 10's tick, but it's a notable improvement that should set the stage for Microsoft's continued competition with MacOS and the ever ongoing developments of popular Linux distros.
To help retain its top spot on the OS charts and encourage everyone to move over to the new version, Microsoft will give away licenses for free to anyone who already has Windows 10. But it's now been clarified that that free roll out won't happen until 2022 and will continue throughout the first half of the year.
While this might be a blow to those who are most excited, if you really want to be one of the first you can always pay for the privilege or join the Insiders program for access well before its official roll out. For everyone else, waiting six months for Windows 11 to settle down with a few patches won't be a bad idea, considering the problems Microsoft has had with new versions of Windows 10 over the past couple of years.