'Doze boss admits quality is down, promises smaller memory footprint and fixes for many well-known issues
Microsoft has acknowledged that it needs to improve the quality of Windows 11 and outlined its plan to get the job done.
A Friday post from executive veep for Windows and devices Pavan Davuluri, and addressed to Windows Insiders, says he’s taken soundings among users and “What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.”
Davuluri said Microsoft has already started work to improve the OS and offered a list of changes that starts with “More taskbar customization, including vertical and top positions.”
That’s a feature Microsoft offered 30 years ago, in Windows 95.
We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points
His next item is “Integrating AI where it’s most meaningful, with craft and focus,” and reads a lot like an admission that Microsoft has got it wrong with AI in Windows.
“You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well crafted,” Davuluri wrote. “As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad.”
Davuluri also promised a File Explorer will become “faster and more dependable,” by offering “a quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks.” He also promised “Copying and moving large files will be faster and more reliable” and “substantially lower latency for search, navigation and context menus.”
Un-dam the RAM cram jam
Another plan calls for “lowering the baseline memory footprint for Windows, freeing up more capacity for the apps you run.” The OS will emerge capable of “More consistent performance, even under load, so apps stay responsive throughout the day.”
This is arguably not responding to user feedback but a commercial necessity, because surging memory prices mean RAM alone accounts for over a third of a PC’s price, leading to higher costs for buyers.
If PC sales slow, so will Microsoft’s revenue. Making Windows 11 fit for a time in which machines packing a mere 8GB of RAM become the norm is therefore a business imperative, not just a technical challenge for the software giant’s OS engineers.
Other items on Microsoft’s to-do list address very old gripes about Windows, such as its flaky performance when connecting to Bluetooth devices, waking up grumpy or slowly after PCs emerge from sleep, and making widgets less intrusive. Davuluri also said Microsoft will work to speed Windows installations, and will offer a one-reboot-a-month option for Windows Update.
The exec also pledged to improve the Windows Insider program with a new and easier-to-use feedback hub. Again, this will please users and benefit Microsoft.
“Elevating the Windows Subsystem for Linux experience” is another promise. Davuluri said it will manifest in a few ways:
- Faster file performance between Linux and Windows
- Improved network compatibility and throughput
- More streamlined first-time setup and onboarding experience
- Better enterprise management with stronger policy control, security and governance
The Windows boss described the content of his post as items Microsoft will deliver in preview OS builds during March and April, and that members of the Insider program “can expect to see tangible progress that you’ll be able to feel as you preview builds from us throughout the rest of the year.”
But it is unclear when this work will reach the rest of us who run regular Windows releases. ®