One thing I can almost guarantee is that there will be functions that we're no longer allowed to access. Very soon we're going to get to the point where regedit and gpedit will require online credentialling that the end user won't be able to gain. Changes made at that level will require an agent in Bangladesh with the proper certification.
Either that or you won't be able to get in without a pro version. A freedom upcharge if you will.
Maybe if Windows is made crappy enough a real competitor can emerge, or at least Microsoft will be forced to make it functional again.
Not getting 11. Looks like another Windows 8/Vista situation. Someone else already said it, but it looks like the 'every other version sucks' pattern is repeating.
Either they'll extend long term support for Windows 10 or 12 will be decent.
I don't understand their obsession with making Desktop OS's like phones. As far as I can tell no one actually wants this. People want their computer experiences to be smooth and consistent. Something as fundamental as changing the start menu goes against this.
You could say "but at the end of the day the normies won't know the difference." Would completely disagree. When I did tech support, one of the biggest calls I got was about the systems running slow, even if they actually weren't. Why should Microsoft expect anything different when they release poorly optimized code? And, when it comes to what OSs people buy, either they know about computers and stay away from the crap, or they aren't computer literate and they ask their friends/family who are computer literate. Finally, reading a couple articles, it doesn't look like it's substantially different beyond a few aesthetic changes. So even for the unsophisticated customers who just like shiny toys... what's in it for them?
Baffling product strategy.