It looks like Windows 11 could be getting a new device management feature that will seem a little familiar to anyone who’s ever used Apple’s rival macOS Sonoma operating system for Macs and MacBooks.
If MSPoweruser reportsan early build of an upcoming Windows 11 update, adds a new “Linked Devices” window within the Settings app, giving users an overview of all devices, such as laptops and Xbox consoles, signed into their Microsoft account.
From that window, it appears that users will be able to manage each device from one screen.
Apple-like convenience
You might be surprised at how many devices you have linked to your Microsoft account, especially if you have multiple laptops. Signing in to your smartphone and connecting it to your Windows 11 device via the handy Phone Link app and using your Microsoft account to sign in to other services can also cause your list of ‘Linked devices’ is longer than you might have expected.
It’s always important to keep track of which devices you log in to, especially if you plan to sell or give away a device. Currently, there is no easy way to see all the devices signed into your Microsoft account in Windows 11. Instead, you have to go to the Microsoft account website. It’s not the most intuitive website, and I think it’s a good move to display this information in a much clearer way within Windows 11. However, as MSPoweruser notes, some of the tasks you want to perform with the devices will still have to be accomplished through the website at this point.
However, it’s still (very) early days with this feature, as it’s currently only available with the beta version 22635.3495, which is only available to people who have signed up for the Windows 11 Insiders program. Hopefully, by the time this feature rolls out to all Windows 11 users, more tasks should be integrated directly into Windows, rather than having to go to the website.
This addition adds a level of Apple-like convenience to Windows 11 – something the operating system often lacks. As I’ve said before, Windows 11 can sometimes feel like a jumble of new and older operating systems – and that means it doesn’t provide a cohesive experience.
Meanwhile, Apple’s macOS is certainly not perfect, but it does integrate your different devices much better than Windows 11. Of course, because Apple is Apple, this works best if all your other devices are also Apple products, and because of the enormous reach of the manufacturers that make Windows 11 products, Microsoft does not have this luxury.
However, this new feature is certainly welcome and brings Windows 11 one step closer to the kind of simple device management that Apple is known for. If Microsoft has indeed taken inspiration from its nemesis, then I’m certainly not complaining. In fact, here are some other Apple features that I wouldn’t mind Microsoft copying:
A few years ago, the idea that I might one day suggest that Microsoft change the iconic Windows Start menu to look more like macOS’ Launchpad would have been laughable. Since its debut in Windows 95, I have always preferred the Start Menu. You could easily find the app you wanted to launch, and it was confined to the bottom left corner of the screen, it didn’t feel intrusive. unlike full screen Launchpad.
When Microsoft dropped the Start menu in Windows 8 for a much more Launchpad-like full-screen Start screen, I – like many other Windows users – was shocked.
Although the Start menu has returned in Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has seemingly gone out of its way to make me avoid the once essential part of the operating system.
Putting apps and widgets I don’t want or use in the Start menu makes it harder to find what I actually want – and it looks like this will get worse as Microsoft is apparently considering banning ads for suggested Microsoft Store apps apps in the “Recommended” section of the Start menu.
More unnecessary bloat means it’s harder to find the apps I actually have want to to use, and ironically this means I open the Start menu less and less these days. The fact that in Windows 11 the Start menu now appears right in the middle of my desktop means it can feel just as obnoxious as Launchpad (unless I change the settings to put the Start menu back in the left corner).
It’s gotten to the point where I prefer using Launchpad. Sure, I still don’t like that it takes up my entire screen, but there are no ads, notifications to try more services, and a few pre-installed apps. Instead, it only shows the apps I have installed so I can quickly find and open them.
2. Make the taskbar look more like the Dock
This is another suggestion that I can hardly believe in 2024, but the sad fact is that despite the fact that the macOS Dock comes after the Windows taskbar, the… er… bar is set… Microsoft’s tinkering has ultimately made the Windows 11 version of the taskbar a lot less useful.
At first glance, the centering of the app icons suggests that Microsoft has already taken inspiration from the macOS Dock, but if that’s the case, it’s learned the wrong lesson.
The macOS Dock is a more elegant solution for quickly opening your favorite apps and switching between open windows at the same time – but not because it’s in the center of your screen. As with the Launchpad, the Dock is thankfully free of clutter, while the taskbar can look cluttered in comparison.
By default, in addition to icons for your apps, Windows 11’s taskbar also shows the search bar (which often contains images), weather alerts, notifications, and the new Copilot icon, many of which I never use.
While the Dock sits in the center of the screen, the taskbar also extends across the entire screen, and while the app icons and Start menu appear in the center, the weather icons appear on the far left, while notifications, time, and date, The copilot and the volume buttons have been moved to the other side. This means that the taskbar in Windows 11 feels cluttered, while there is also a lot of wasted space.
Worst of all, Microsoft has dropped a lot of functionality from the Windows 11 taskbar compared to previous versions of Windows – including the ability to drag and drop apps to the taskbar so they always appear there, or to move files to drag and drop the taskbar. an app’s taskbar icon to open the file in the app.
It’s a curious move that has baffled many Windows 11 users, and I’d like to see Microsoft take inspiration from both macOS And previous versions of Windows to create a modern taskbar that’s elegant, powerful, and easy to use.
3. Make the Microsoft Store more like the App Store (i.e., make it more useful)
This last point is probably something Microsoft would love, but since introducing the Windows Store with Windows 8, the company has struggled to make the case for what is now called the Microsoft Store.
Like the App Store in macOS, the Microsoft Store provides a way to find and install apps. It should be easy and secure (since all apps in the store are tested to make sure they don’t contain malware), but while the App Store in macOS feels like a useful, perhaps even essential, part of the operating system, the Microsoft Store is easily ignored.
Microsoft must look with seething jealousy at the money that Apple rakes in through the App Store. What can Microsoft learn from Apple’s implementation?
For starters, the App Store looks and feels cleaner. The Microsoft Store certainly looks better than it did in the past, but it’s still not the easiest when it comes to finding things you want (there’s a bit of a theme developing here). It also feels slow and laggy compared to the App Store.
Microsoft has also struggled to get developers to create custom versions of their applications for the Microsoft Store, meaning it feels a bit sparser than the App Store. It also means that some versions of apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store will lack the features of the same app downloaded from a website. It also leads to strange inconsistencies, such as that the Paint.net app is a paid app on the Microsoft Store, but it can be downloaded for free from the official website.
Probably the biggest problem for Microsoft when it comes to this is that the App Store has been such an integral part of macOS for so long that users don’t think to use it to install new apps. They will also rely on Apple’s recommendations for new apps.
Microsoft doesn’t hold that kind of reverence among its users, and Windows users have mainly grown up using the Internet to find and download applications, preferring the freedom to choose where to download the app and where to download it install – even if it entails certain risks.
It’s hard to see how Microsoft can change much of that, but by making the Microsoft Store more useful and easier to navigate, and with a much wider app selection, it could help make it more popular with its customers.
Apple – and macOS – is far from perfect, and there are many things Windows 11 does better than macOS, but if Microsoft is in the mood to take tips from its fruit-themed rival, the above suggestions would be very welcome indeed.