A software preview has been published for Windows 11 which will improve the experience of using Microsoft’s OS on tablet devices and 2-in-1 devices.
Microsoft’s Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22563, which was only issued to users who signed up to get early versions of Windows 11 to review, improves the taskbar on tablets and 2-in-1 laptops.
The taskbar will now have two states in the latest upgrade: collapsed and extended mode. Whenever you collapse the taskbar, it becomes considerably slimmer, providing you additional screen space and helping to eliminate unintended taskbar button presses.
Additionally, the extended mode expands the taskbar, enabling you to further quickly choose stuff, such as applications, using the touch screen.
Shifting between the two different modes appears to be as simple as sliding your fingertip down or up at the bottom of the tablet’s display, where the taskbar is located.
This variation of the taskbar appears to be limited to Windows 11 tablets and 2-in-1 laptops with touchscreens that either separate from the keyboard or could be folded back and used as a tablet. This new taskbar will not be available for desktop PCs or conventional laptops.
Because it is presently in a Preview Build, ordinary Windows 11 users will not see it quite yet. Nevertheless, if testing goes smoothly and there is a strong response from Windows Insiders, the functionality might emerge in a future Windows 11 version.
This new upgrade demonstrates that Microsoft’s tablet aspirations continue unabated. Whereas competitors Apple and Google have had huge popularity with tablet devices, Microsoft, which is known for products like Office 365 has failed to follow suit. Its efforts to compete with the powerful iPad and acquire market share in the tablet industry have been a mixed bag.
There’s been Windows 8, which ditched most of the old Window’s design, such as the taskbar and Start menu, in favor of a tablet-friendly layout featuring huge icons. The issue has been that Windows 8 tablets were mostly disregarded, and desktop and laptop users despised having to deal with an interface intended for touchscreen devices which they didn’t possess.
Microsoft which is known for products like Microsoft Teams achieved greater achievement with its Surface Pro range of 2-in-1 laptops, as well as Windows 10, that achieved a much more equitable balance with an interface best suited to classic PCs even while featuring a tablet mode.
Yet, Surface Pro sales continue to trail behind those of the iPad and Android tablets, but it appears the company hasn’t given up. If Windows 11 keeps improving its performance on tablet devices, it may be the company’s greatest shot yet in competing with Apple and Google.
