News

Windows 11 Is Coming: Here’s What To Expect

Wondering what the next-generation of Microsoft’s OS will look like? Here’s a glimpse.

Published

11 months ago

June 16, 2021

Joanna Melki

windows 11 is coming here's what to expect

The Verge

Never say never. Even though Microsoft previously stated that Windows 10 is the last version of Windows ever to be released, we now have a strong reason to believe that the company has changed its mind. In a promotional tweet for the upcoming Microsoft Event, which is scheduled to take place on June 24th at 11 am ET, the Windows team shared an animated image of sunlight in the shape of the number eleven shining through a window, suggesting Windows 11.

Join us June 24th at 11 am ET for the #MicrosoftEvent to see what’s next. https://t.co/kSQYIDZSyi pic.twitter.com/Emb5GPHOf0

— Windows (@Windows) June 2, 2021

Unfortunately, that’s all we know about Windows 11 at this point. However, the lack of official information doesn’t stop us from talking about the features and improvements that Microsoft is likely working on.

Unified User Interface Design

windows 11 user interface design

The user interface of Windows 10 is still inconsistent, even though the operating system was first released in 2015. Just open a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, such as Microsoft Store, next to a Win32 app, such as Control Panel, and you’ll instantly see what we’re talking about.

Microsoft is already in the process of changing legacy icons to a brand-new icon set, and we expect Windows 11 to bring even more user interface improvements, finally unifying the look and feel of the operating system.

Xbox Streaming

windows 11 xbox streaming

Microsoft’s all-inclusive pass to the world of Xbox, called Xbox Game Pass, has been a great success, and the company can make it even more irresistible by allowing Xbox Series X / S owners to stream their favorite titles on PC.

Considering that we’re currently in the middle of a huge GPU shortage, it’s basically guaranteed that many gamers would be more than happy to give up some latency to play the latest shooter games using mouse and keyboard.

More Advanced Features

windows 11 advanced features

Microsoft has been making Windows power users happy by continuously expanding its set of freeware system utilities, called Microsoft PowerToys. The currently available utilities include a system-wide color picking utility, a window manager, add-ons that enable preview pane rendering in File Explorer, a Windows Shell Extension for quickly resizing images, and more.

Also Read: Microsoft To Finally Retire Internet Explorer In 2022

We expect some of these utilities to be integrated directly into Windows 11, which would help Microsoft further establish its operating system as the best choice for professionals.

News

Spotify Is Experimenting With Artist NFT Collections

According to a recent survey, it seems that the currently tested NFT collections are just the first step toward a much broader implementation of NFTs into the platform.

Published

4 days ago

May 20, 2022

David Morelo

spotify is experimenting with artist nft collections

NFT sales may have declined by 92 percent since September 2021, but that’s not stopping Spotify from experimenting with a new feature that lets artists display their non-fungible token (NFT) collections on the music streaming platform.

At the moment, only a small group of artists are taking part in the experiment, including Steve Aoki and The Wombats. What’s more, only select US users of the Spotify app for Android can see NFTs when they visit the profile pages of the aforementioned artists.

spotify artist nft collections

“Spotify is running a test in which it will help a small group of artists promote their existing third-party NFT offerings via their artist profiles,” said Spotify spokesperson. “We routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve artist and fan experiences.”

It’s important to point out that not all Spotify experiments result in new features. It all depends on the feedback the music streaming platform receives from users.

According to a survey some Spotify users have recently received, it seems that the currently tested NFT collections are just the first step toward a much broader implementation of NFTs into the platform. More specifically, Spotify seems to be thinking about allowing its users to directly purchase NFT art to support their favorite artists.

Also Read: 3 Best Cold Storage Wallets For Crypto In 2022

Considering how polarizing NFTs have been since their inception in 2014, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many Spotify users have immediately expressed their dissatisfaction with the idea of NFTs becoming part of the Spotify music listening experience.

Other large tech companies are also experimenting with NFTs. Instagram, for example, started testing NFT integration last week, allowing NFT creators and collectors to display their tokens on the platform. Mark Zuckerberg himself believes that NFTs and digital collectibles in general will play an integral role in the metaverse, the new iteration of the internet.