Windows 11 rumor roundup: major visual overhaul, new Microsoft Store, new action center, and more

Windows 10 has become dated, which, in turn, may have necessitated Microsoft’s consideration of a more polished and more modern-looking Windows. In his keynote speech at Build 2021, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, “Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade. I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows.”

It’s abundantly clear that Microsoft is going to announce a big update for the Windows desktop OS and while Microsoft had informed us that it’d announce the “next-generation of Windows” on June 24, it’s not clear what the next-generation of Windows will be called. This has led to people coming up with several theories, some of which suggest Microsoft will officially call it Windows 11, while many hold the view that it’ll be called Windows with no number suffixed to it.

The rumors are not only regarding the official name of the OS but also about the features that it will offer. Based on what we know so far, Microsoft is rumored to introduce “sweeping visual rejuvenation” and a major overhaul of how the Microsoft Store functions to the Windows 11 update, or whatever the company ends up calling it.

Rumored visual refresh in Windows 11

Talking about the visual changes, the rumor is that Microsoft will add a new Start Menu, a new action center, a new Settings app, new system icons, rounded corners. The visual changes will also include updates to existing Windows stock apps and the end of decades-old Windows 95 icons. Some of these changes can also be seen in the now-called Windows 10X build, and with Microsoft confirming that many of the features will come to the regular Windows, we cannot help but speculate that the aforementioned changes will find a place in Windows 11.

The fact that Microsoft has been working on the Windows 10 Sun Valley update, which was confirmed to include big visual changes, is another hint that all these changes will be part of the upcoming new version of Windows.

New Microsoft Store in Windows 11?

Microsoft is yet to taste success with its official app marketplace. The company is rumored to make yet another attempt to make the Store more attractive in Windows 11. The effort won’t be limited to giving the Microsoft Store a major visual overhaul. Satya Nadella promised that the next generation of Windows would “unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators.” And while the company is tight-lipped about the details of how it’ll lure developers into publishing their apps in the Microsoft Store, rumors suggest Microsoft will allow developers to submit any Windows application, including unpackaged win32 apps, in the Microsoft Store.

Moreover, developers are said to be able to use their own content delivery network(CDN) to host and update their apps. If true, applications like Google Chrome and Firefox will be able to deliver updates using their respective built-in auto-update features. Another significant change that Microsoft is rumored to make to the new Microsoft Store is to let developers use their own in-app purchase systems. As a result of this, developers will be able to bypass Microsoft’s commission on in-app purchases. The software giant is hopeful that these changes will better the app situation on Microsoft Store.

It’s worth noting that Windows 11 will offer more than what’s been discussed above. The company is unlikely to intentionally reveal something big about the new version of the OS until the official announcement as the company wants to build hype surrounding the June 24 event.

Meanwhile, you’ll be apprised of all the latest developments around the next generation of Windows as they happen. We, of course, will cover all the news coming out of the June 24 event live, so stay tuned.