14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 11 is projected to become available for production devices this upcoming October, and Microsoft has confirmed that just like in the case of Windows 10 feature updates, the rollout would take place in stages to computers around the world.
This is because this release in waves allows Microsoft to find possible bugs early and then prevent them from hitting a bigger number of devices, therefore being able to set upgrade blocks and suspend the rollout for specific configurations.
Microsoft says this approach is inspired by the one it previously used for Windows 10, so devices with the lowest likelihood of bugs are also the first ones to get the new operating system.
“The free upgrade to Windows 11 starts on October 5 and will be phased and measured with a focus on quality. Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience. That means new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first,” the company said this week.
Rollout to complete by the summer of 2022
Microsoft says the rollout would advance gradually to more devices as it collects reliability feedback, with all computers eligible for the free upgrade to get Windows 11 by the summer of 2021.
“The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022. If you have a Windows 10 PC that’s eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know when it’s available. You can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for your device by going to Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates,” it says.
In other words, by this time next year, all eligible devices should already be on Windows 11 using Windows Update for automatic upgrades.