Windows 11 is for the enterprise

Microsoft's recent announcement of Windows 11 has gotten a lot of people asking questions? Why now? Why the change for minimum requirements? And why was the announcement so plain and unassuming?

I think the answer lies in Microsoft's customers for Windows. So let's look at the different types of customers. We can see that there are a few different types of customers for Windows.

Enterprises: Large companies with lots of computers. They authenticate with Exchange. They use Microsoft Office, SQL Server, and other Microsoft products. They buy lots of licenses. They pay for support. And -- importantly -- they depreciate computers over a three year schedule, and they frequently replace computers every three years. They have dedicated IT support teams (possibly outsourced or contractors) and they have discussions and plans for IT.

We can consider large non-profit organizations and large government agencies in this group, as long as they replace their computers every three years.

Small businesses: Companies with fewer computers (probably less than 100). They don't use Exchange for authentication; they assign everyone a computer with a password and share data via workgroups. They use the software that comes with the computer (Windows and Office). And they don't replace their computers every three years; they keep them longer.

Small business do not (typically) have plans for IT, other than "keep things running and replace computers when they fail". They let their computers age in place, with no specific plans to upgrade Windows or applications.

We can consider small non-profit organizations and small government agencies in this group, as long as they don't have formal plans to replace computers every three years.

Typical individuals: Like small businesses, they have few computers, they use the software that comes with the computer (possibly Office 365), and they keep their computers for longer than three years. They, too, let their computers age in place.

Enthusiasts: These are individuals who enjoy tinkering with hardware or software. Like the typical individual, they have a few computers. Unlike the typical individual, they take a more active interest in IT. They probably have more computers than the typical individual, and they tend to have some computers with the latest versions of Windows. (They may also have older computers with older versions of Windows, just for fun.)

Enthusiasts were important in the early days of Windows. They downloaded beta versions, showed Windows to their friends, and learned how to make Windows work on different types of hardware. The were an important part of the "Windows revolution" over DOS.

Gamers: These individuals have few computers. They take an interest in hardware, and software when it helps their gaming experience. They use powerful computers, either built by themselves or off-the-shelf with custom video and replaced disk. They may replace equipment every three years; the time is driven not by depreciation schedules but by hardware and game software.

Browsers: Individuals who use Windows like a Chromebook. That is, they have a computer running Windows but they use only web apps. They don't use local applications (not even Office). Like typical users, they have no plans for upgrades and tend to use computers for a long time.

With these different groups in mind, we can gain some insight into Microsoft's motivations.

Microsoft's announcement for Windows 11, and specifically the requirements for 64-bit, and TPM 2.0, limit Windows 11 to recent computers. This is going to cause some problems for some users, because the equipment they currently have will not support Windows 11. But look at the groups, and see which will be affected:

Small businesses, typical individuals, and browsers will not be affected by Windows 11. They probably do not run the latest version of Windows 10, and may be running Windows 8.1 or even Windows 7. (The latter is unlikely due to the lack of support for Internet Explorer.)

Enterprise businesses will not be affected (much) by Windows 11. They will have equipment that is ready to run Windows 11 (thanks to their policy of replacing computers every three years) and they have an IT support team who can coordinate the installation of the new version. (That IT group may not be happy about a new version of Windows, but they can handle the task.)

The groups most affected by Windows 11 will be gamers and enthusiasts. Gamers will have to review the benefits of Windows 11, and will probably replace older PCs when games come out that are for Windows 11 only. Enthusiasts will be the hardest hit: their curated older hardware that is running Windows 10 (because it can) will not be able to run Windows 11. They will have to pony up for new hardware (and find space for it, while keeping their older PCs).

So my conclusion is this: Windows 11 is for the enterprise. Microsoft is targeting enterprise customers (the ones who pay lots of licensing fees) and keeping them happy. (Enterprises love security!)

The other types of users are going along for the ride. Small businesses and typical individuals won't be affected (they already have hardware, and when they buy new PCs they will come with Windows 11).

The folks most affected will be the enthusiasts who won't be able to install Windows 11 on their old hardware. (And probably won't be able to install Windows 10 after its end-of-life in 2025.) That's a small crowd, and they are less important today than they were in the early days of Windows.

Microsoft cannot support old hardware forever. The advantages of increased security are obvious and necessary. A special version of Windows 11 ("Windows 11 minus"? "Windows for the tinkerers"?) that supports older (less secure) hardware would require a lot of time and effort, and the return for that time and effort would be very small.

The enthusiasts and tinkerers need another home, one that is not dominated by the concerns (and economics) of the enterprise.