On October 5th, Microsoft released Windows 11 to a limited group of hardware-compatible PCs as a free update from Windows 10. With a better than anticipated launch, the strict hardware requirements have been opened up to allow for a larger upgrade eligible pool. If the option to upgrade appears on your PC, here are some things to consider.
Compatibility
While Windows 11 is stable for the majority of upgrades, there have been reports of hardware and software incompatibility. This is expected during early releases, as the testing community tests the O/S with different configurations. At Cardinal, we have not experienced any issues with installation and operating the Badge suite of products, but there may be other software on your PC that could be impacted.
Performance
There have been reports of AMD processors experiencing slowdowns with Windows 11. As of this writing, a fix is in early testing for release in early 2022. Microsoft reports that with each iteration, performance will be a key focus.
Features
Microsoft continues to roll out new features with each new iteration, but not all promised enhancements are available today. One of the most interesting new features is the ability to run Android applications from your Windows PC. Today, this feature is available only to beta testers (Microsoft Insiders) and offers a smaller set of applications from the Amazon store and not Google Play. Many other new features are slow to release as well.
Is now the time to upgrade?
Cardinal’s testing within our application suite has been very smooth with no known issues. If you purchase a new PC with Windows 11 installed, you should have no issues with Cardinal products.
If you’re wondering whether you should push the upgrade button on your Windows 10 PC, we would recommend continuing to wait as the compatibility, performance, and issues with other applications are worked out. At a minimum, check with all your mission-critical software providers to see where they are in Windows 11 certification before proceeding.
As always, if you have questions, please reach out to our support team for help.
