Windows 11 is an overencumbered, slop-filled mess. Microsoft keeps shoving new Copilot AI features into its operating system, and users are tired of it. There comes a point where Windows 11 isn’t worth saving. Maybe Windows 12 can make things right again.
Microsoft has spent the last few weeks in a kind of cleanup rotation to fix Windows 11’s worst pain points. The latest OS previews finally let users skip installing all updates when initially setting up the PC. One of the latest Windows Insider beta builds also allows users to customize their taskbar orientation so you can have your dock to the left, right, or above your desktop. Microsoft also promised faster loading times for File Explorer.
Pavan Davuluri, president of Microsoft’s Windows and devices team, wrote in March, “You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well-crafted.” As much as Microsoft has made strides to fix its bloated mess of an AI-infused operating system, it keeps meeting new performance, bugs, and security hurdles that it can’t seem to overcome.
Recall was a terrible idea from the beginning
The Windows maker’s worst ideas keep coming back to bite it in the ass. Last year, Microsoft finally released its Windows 11 Recall feature to the public. You may remember how security researchers pointed out it was a security nightmare. The feature would automatically screenshot your display and then use AI to interpret those images. This would not necessarily filter for sensitive information, like bank account info.
A year after launch, cybersecurity researcher Alexander Hagenah told The Verge he created a simple program to extract and display data from Recall, bypassing Windows Hello security. The Recall AI keeps a log that interprets the screenshotted images. Essentially, dedicated users with access to that PC’s desktop may still be able to read those logs and potentially access sensitive data.
Since the start of the year, Windows 11’s latest 25H2 update has caused numerous system-breaking bugs. It seems like every new security or feature preview requires an emergency patch to fix one issue or another. There’s a point when a product just doesn’t have consumers’ support and likely never will. You don’t have to look back too far to find examples. Remember how much people despised Windows Vista and Windows 8 before finding a better haven in Windows 7 and Windows 10?
Microsoft’s long history of fixing its broken OS
Windows 11 deployment was rocky from the very start. Microsoft delayed the OS launch due to the pandemic. From the start, it required beefier system specs than Windows 10. It proved so demanding that even Windows Defender would eat up a ton of system memory running in the background. Microsoft also blasted users with ads for its first-party services like OneDrive and Microsoft 365, making Windows 11 feel like a Netflix-like service rather than an OS users could control.
Then, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella plunged the entire company into the morass of AI. Every app, down to Paint, now has Copilot shoved inside. You can’t ignore the AI chatbot, either. Just this month, Microsoft reconfigured the Copilot app to be based on Edge rather than its own framework. Now, the browser-based app can eat up to 500MB of RAM usage just by running in the background, according to Windows Latest. As much as Davuluri claimed they’re trying to fix AI implementation on Windows, Microsoft can’t stop these tools from hurting the end experience.
As of last October, Windows 10 is currently unsupported, forcing consumers to reckon with the shifting landscape of Windows 11. While Windows 11 is not the worst operating system that Microsoft has ever put out, it’s definitely been one of the most frustrating experiences, especially once Copilot took over. Instead of patching things up for an OS that many users already associate with being dysfunctional, Microsoft should put its efforts toward shipping Windows 12 sooner rather than later. It’s time to move on and get back on the right foot.
