90 PCWorld JUNE 2022FEATURE WINDOWS 11 IS BETTER THAN WINDOWS 10
THE OUT OF THE BOX
(OOBE) EXPERIENCE
Windows 11 offers a fantastic experience out
of the box, with an efficient startup process
that visually introduces you to the
Windows 11 look and feel while walking
you through what Windows is doing and
what information you’ll need to provide to
help it on its way. It’s also an easy way to
instantly set up your new PC with Office
apps (provided you have a Microsoft 365
subscription), and it also facilitates
connecting to your Android phone via
Phone Link (formerly called Your Phone).
Yes, you’ll need to enter a Microsoft
account to proceed, which some won’t be
happy about. But for anyone who’s
complained that Windows 11 is still
something of a hodge-podge of various
operating systems past, the OOBE beliesthat completely. If most users were
polled about their attitude toward
Windows 11 right after setup, my
guess is that Windows 11 would
have a higher approval rating than
it does.THE ACTION CENTER
I’ve come around on the Action
Center, the small collection of
controls that lives in the bottom
right corner of your primary display.
I still don’t like how nonintuitively
the Action Center trigger is framed
within Windows 11; in Windows 10, all of the
corner icons are essentially one collective
“button” that you can click to open the ActionI love Windows 11’s out of the box experience. Aside from
the obligation to add a Microsoft account, it’s one of the most
cohesive parts of Windows 11. Here, you’re asked to set up
your phone link (and you should).The Windows 11 Action Center is compact, coherent,
and unobtrusive.