*The global technology giant says its new offering will be a 鈥榥ew Windows experience鈥� that brings consumers closer to the people and things they love

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

Ever since Microsoft issued a major upgrade to its Windows Operating System (OS) six years ago, experts say a lot has changed since then.

绿帽献妻 learnt the global technology company will launch a brand new Windows 11 October 5, 2021.

The software tech giant says that the new offering will be a “new Windows experience, bring you closer to the people and things you love.”

If its preview video is any indication of what users can expect, Microsoft might be finally giving Apple a run for its money, agency report stated.

It was gathered that internally, the fresh Windows version has the ability to go toe-to-toe with Apple by giving users the ability to move applications across a range of devices and in the most contemporary of ways from touch to pen to voice.

Report noted where Microsoft can possibly hurt Apple is in the growing and lucrative gaming segment.

Leveraging Xbox, the company says that Windows 11 will take gaming to 鈥渁 whole new level鈥� with the kind of graphic power that rivals reality.

Microsoft hopes to tap into gamers with Xbox Game Pass, giving them access to 100+ games.

Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft, on an earnings call earlier 2021 disclosed that Xbox Live has over 100 million people actively using Xbox every month.

鈥淚f Microsoft can convince a portion of those to buy a new Windows 11 machine, the estimated $8billion Microsoft is expected to earn annually by 2025 should be a piece of cake.

What Windows users need to know

At the top of Windows users鈥� need-to-know list is the following:

When: The free upgrade to Windows 11 starts October 5 this year. The release will be phased in, meaning that new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first.

After that, the upgrade will then roll out over time to 鈥渋n-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience.鈥�

In other words, newer devices will probably get the updates before older ones.

Consumers who want to buy a new computer so they can get a jump on Windows 11 have several options, report noted.

Such consumers, according to report, can buy a new computer that has Windows 10 and wait just a few weeks for the automatic Windows 11 update to come out.

Alternatively, they can wait until October 2021, and purchase a device that comes preinstalled with Windows 11.

Microsoft is partnering on those OEM models with the following companies: Dell, Acer, Samsung, Asus and Lenovo.

How will you find out: Microsoft will be sending out notices to its users, but consumers can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for their device by going to the Windows Update tab in their settings and selecting “Check for Updates”, report said.