Windows 11 will officially become available on October 5 of this year, marking the beginning of the transition to a new version of Microsoft's operating system and the gradual decline of Windows 10.

On that date, free upgrades to Windows 11 will begin for Windows 10 computers with the necessary specs and features to run Windows 11. Sadly, that means that some perfectly decent PCs may be left behind. [Windows 11 is designed to borrow a bit from Apple's macOS aesthetic, but promises many upgrades. [According to Microsoft, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will be a "gradual and deliberate process." Translated, new eligible devices will receive the upgrade first, and then Windows 11 will be rolled out to other commercial devices over time. This will be based on hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, device age, and other factors.

In other words, you may need to be patient as Microsoft expects all eligible devices to receive a free Windows 11 upgrade by mid-2022. The Windows Update application on your PC will tell you if your system is eligible for the upgrade. You can also check to see if your device is compatible with the new OS by going to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates.

The new Windows 11 design is intended to convey "calmness and ease of use," but we believe it is simply to make the overall Windows experience a little easier to use and simplify the process of finding certain settings.

For those who work with the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 cloud software suites, Windows 11 should bring that to the forefront and make the whole process of starting work on one PC and moving to another a little easier Microsoft Teams has also been integrated into the taskbar.

There are other design changes, like the snap layout, which will allow better multitasking without crowding screen space. A new widget feature provides personalized news feeds thanks to AI cleverness. [Windows 11 includes DirectX12 Ultimate, DirectStorage (faster load times), and Auto HDR, which I have seen used effectively on the Xbox Series X to up-mix older games to HDR.

There is also a new Microsoft Store, which should be much easier to use than the somewhat clunky store built into Windows 10. And Android apps are also coming to Windows 11.

If you're willing to try the Windows 11 beta, you can try all of the above and more right now; here's how to download Windows 11. For now, we'll wait patiently to see if Windows 11 is a significant upgrade over Windows 10 when it is fully released. Expect to see Windows 11 on many new laptops this fall and early 2022.

Since new PCs will be the first to upgrade to Windows 11, it is only natural that Microsoft would want you to purchase a new system. As part of its blog post, the company highlights some of the best laptops you can buy now that should be ready for Windows 11 on day one.