Sorry seems to be the hardest word at Microsoft
OPINION Has Microsoft finally reckoned with Windows 11's many failings - or has its OS chief, Pavan Davuluri, simply offered more soothing platitudes to users fed up with bugs and unwanted AI?
Davuluri wrote a lengthy post on the Windows blog that was long on promises that things will get better, but short on words like "sorry," "apologize," or even the Americanism "our bad."
According to Davuluri, the movable taskbar dropped from Windows 11 is returning. Windows Update will stop forcing restarts quite so relentlessly. File Explorer will work as it should. And Windows itself will be less of a resource hog, faster, and more reliable.
Microsoft has also promised to rethink its obsession with AI. Davuluri said: "We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad."
Not that Copilot is going away. "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 said.
This implies that, up to now, the changes have not been intentional. So spraying Windows with the assistant, regardless of how users felt about it, was somehow an accident?
Windows 11 has become a bit of a car crash in the last few years - borked update after borked update. Rather than fixing problems, Microsoft instead focused on adding AI to Notepad and Paint. Users cried out for the return of seemingly minor functionality, such as the ability to move the taskbar, but Microsoft instead offered widgets and more Copilot.
A look at social media is enough to get an idea of how users regard Microsoft's wares these days. An anonymous contributor to the AnonOpin account on Bluesky is an example. A recent post was: "Windows 11 and Office 365 are like a time warp back to the early 2000s. The OS isn't stable and Office has functionality that doesn't work that you can't remove. And Copilot is Clippy."
It's a self-selecting example, but it gives a flavor of what Davuluri is up against.
It is also worth remembering it was Davuluri who proclaimed Windows was "evolving into an agentic OS" in November 2025, only to read the comments and acknowledge that users were unhappy. Four months later, he has confirmed there is at least some awareness within Microsoft that the Windows 11 ship urgently needs righting.
The problem is that Windows development these days is like a supertanker, and changing direction will take a while. Microsoft is not as nimble as it was decades ago. The changes Davuluri promised will unfold over 2026, meaning it will take a long time before users feel the impact. Considering that almost every Windows update seems to introduce one regression or another, those same users might feel an altogether unwelcome impact.
Davuluri's post is an admission that Microsoft knows not all is well in the world of Windows. However, the engineer stopped short of suggesting that whoever signed off on changing Notepad from its text editor origins be fired into the heart of the Sun.
Nor is there a promise to halt the relentless tinkering or to rehire the quality assurance team, whose presence is sorely missed.
There isn't a "sorry" anywhere in the text, despite Davuluri admitting myriad issues.
Once again, Microsoft has conceded there are problems with Windows and some users are unhappy. However, Davuluri did something similar in 2025, and Microsoft still had a disastrous start to 2026.
The challenge facing Davuluri and his employer is whether Windows users have the patience and faith to stick with the operating system as engineers frantically patch self-inflicted holes in the good ship Windows. ®