Abstract:
Microsoft Windows 11 celebrates its fifth anniversary. As a new generation of desktop operating system after Windows 10, Windows 11 now has more than 1 billion global users and has become one of Microsoft's most important operating system platforms in recent years.
Windows 11 was officially released on October 5, 2021, exactly five years ago. Microsoft initially positioned it as a major upgrade for modern PCs. It not only redesigned the user interface, but also adjusted the system's underlying architecture, hardware security requirements, and application ecosystem.
Compared with Windows 10, the most obvious change in Windows 11 comes from the visual design. Microsoft redesigned core components such as the Start menu, taskbar, file explorer, and system settings, and introduced rounded-corner windows, a new icon system, and a more modern interaction design. The Start menu is displayed in the center by default, which has become one of the most recognizable changes in Windows 11.
Microsoft has also further strengthened Windows 11’s support for new hardware. The system has increased its requirements for TPM 2.0, secure boot, and newer processors, which also prevents a large number of old computers that can still run Windows 10 smoothly from being officially upgraded to Windows 11.
This hardware threshold caused a lot of controversy when Windows 11 was first launched. In particular, TPM 2.0 and processor compatibility requirements have caused many users to find that although their computer performance is still sufficient, they cannot be upgraded through Microsoft's official methods.
However, the user base of Windows 11 continues to expand. As new PCs gradually use Windows 11 as the default operating system, and more and more Windows 10 users complete the upgrade, Windows 11 finally passed the important milestone of 1 billion users.
Windows 11 has also undergone many major updates during its development. Microsoft continues to improve components such as File Explorer, Start Menu, Taskbar, and System Settings, while gradually integrating more artificial intelligence functions into the Windows ecosystem.
Among them, Copilot and later Windows AI-related functions have become an important part of Microsoft's push to promote Windows 11 into the AI PC era. Microsoft hopes that Windows will no longer be just an operating system in the traditional sense, but will become a unified platform between AI services, applications and new hardware.
Windows 11 also assumes the task of promoting the development of Copilot+ PC. Microsoft is working with chip manufacturers to introduce NPUs dedicated to AI computing into the new generation of Windows PCs, and has launched a series of features around local AI reasoning.
At the same time, Windows 11 has not been smooth sailing. Microsoft frequently adjusts the system interface and functions. Some functions that were already quite mature in Windows 10 have become more complex in early versions of Windows 11, triggering criticism from users.
Microsoft has since continued to make corrections based on user feedback, such as re-adjusting functions such as the Start menu, taskbar, file explorer, and right-click menu. Some of the classic experiences of the Windows 10 era have also been gradually restored.
It is worth noting that the time when Windows 11 reaches 1 billion users also coincides with the end of the Windows 10 life cycle. Microsoft has stopped using Windows 10 as its main new system platform and is pushing users to switch to Windows 11.
Therefore, Windows 11's breakthrough of 1 billion users not only means that its scale is very large, but also means that Microsoft is completing a Windows platform migration that will last for several years.
The upgrade cycle from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is significantly more complex than in the past. On the one hand, Microsoft hopes to promote user upgrades as soon as possible, but on the other hand, it needs to consider the reality that a large number of corporate and individual users still rely on old hardware.
For Microsoft, the next phase of Windows 11 will be more centered around AI. As AI PC gradually becomes an important development direction of the PC market, Windows 11 is likely to continue to become Microsoft's main platform for deploying local AI, cloud AI and AI agent functions.
It took Windows 11 five years to reach more than 1 billion users, which means that it has completed the transformation from "Windows 10 successor" to Microsoft's mainstream PC operating system. Next, as AI functions further penetrate into the system, the biggest problem Windows 11 will face in the next few years will no longer be how to replace Windows 10, but how to redefine the role of Windows PC in the AI era.
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