windowscentral[.]com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-promises-2026-will-be-a-better-year-for-windows-11-confirms-plans-to-address-pain-points-across-the-os
windowscentral[.]com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-is-reevaluating-its-ai-efforts-on-windows-11-plans-to-reduce-copilot-integrations-and-evolve-recall
People have an extremely poor view of Microsoft & Windows, and they're making themselves heard. Microsoft says it's listening and has heard complaints loud and clear, and it's going to focus on fixing the things people complain about most often. Many complaints concern how Microsoft is shoehorning its Copilot AI into every available nook and cranny of Windows -- Microsoft has gone so far as to say the next version of Windows will be primarily focused on AI. Microsoft says they're listening there too, and is rethinking that approach.
Ed Bott [ZDNET] OTOH has been covering Microsoft for 25 years, and he doesn't seem optimistic.
zdnet[.]com/article/why-people-hate-windows-11/
Honestly, I don't think Microsoft will take this advice. After all, it means spending money on something other than AI features, and it offers only expenses, with little opportunity to balance that with revenue. But, if those lofty words about "addressing pain points" aren't met, Microsoft can expect its reputation and its market share to continue to erode as customers look for alternatives from the company's many competitors.
Google may turn out to be one of those competitors, and a prime one... *IF* they can pull it off, there will be plenty of laptops on store shelves this year running Google's new OS. It's a step beyond their Chromebooks, but still familiar enough to anyone with an Android phone to feel right at home.