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Windows 11 – we recommend you hold off for now

“The new phonebook’s here! The new phonebook’s here,” yells Steve Martin in the movie “The Jerk.”

Microsoft marketing might use a similar line – the new operating system, Windows 11, is here. But while Microsoft may be excited, reviewers appear to be more like Jackie Mason, whose reaction to Martin is, “I wish I could get that excited about nothing.”

Windows 11 isn’t nothing, but it’s something most reviewers – and the ImageQuest team – advise waiting a few months before updating.

Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal said, “Microsoft’s latest feels more like Windows 10.5.

And Michael Andronico of CNN wrote, “every time we go back to our trusty old Windows 10 computer, we don’t really feel like we’re missing out on much.

Other reviewers say the initial version lacks some of the significant changes promised when Microsoft announced Windows 11 in June.

At our end, we are concerned the new update won’t work with clients’ printers, specialized applications, and processes. Also, as this is the first iteration of the new operating system, history suggests there will be bugs as well.

We are aware Windows 11 promises additional security features. But be aware that these features are aimed at consumer use. We told our clients to hold off because the new Windows 11 security features could cause issues with specialized business applications and even the advanced security features we provide.

If your organization runs a large fleet of Windows computers, you should especially wait to upgrade to ensure your IT team isn’t suddenly swamped with tickets.  We think makers of all the apps and peripherals your organization uses need more time to develop drivers and their own updates for Windows 11.

You definitely should wait if your organization is still on Windows 8.1 or (gasp!) 7. Your hardware may not be able to run Windows 11.

For now, Windows 11 is getting good reviews on its look and feel – and a couple of good features. More are expected in future updates.

But as one reviewer put it, upgrading today “isn’t worth the potential hassle.” So, as we told our clients, hold off upgrading to Windows 11 for now.