- Microsoft has revealed its new Windows Roadmap Portal
- The timetable aims to clarify exactly what features are incoming for Windows 11 and when they arrive
- The idea is to cut through any confusion with regard to future functionality even though it is early days yet for the portal
Have you ever confused about what happens with incoming changes for Windows 11? I wouldn’t blame you – I end up scratching my head some of the time in terms of features that are in the works, and I write about Microsoft’s us for living (among many other technological topics, that is,).
Microsoft even recognizes a lack of clarity about features progressing through testing to Windows 11, and wants to improve the situation with a fresh innovation in the form of a roadmap.
As Windows Central reports, Microsoft’s new Windows shuttle plan portal is now live, with the company describing the rationale behind the new site in a blog post.
Microsoft says: “The Windows timetable contains estimated release dates and descriptions for features released. All information can be changed. When a function or product is canceled or postponed, information is removed from this site.”
So just because a feature is mentioned on the roadmap does not mean that it is guaranteed to record in Windows 11 in the end. However, it has always been true for functionality in testing – if it does not work, or testers provide plenty of negative feedback, there is always a chance that Microsoft will dump a feature and you will never see it again. (Or it will appear in the future in a somewhat different form, maybe).
Analysis: Early Days for a Useful Portal
An initiative like this is of course a commendable initiation from Microsoft. But if you clicked through and reviewed the above blog posts, you certainly noticed that it is targeted at IT professionals – those who manage computers for organizations. This is because when you have to look after a fleet of PCs running Windows 11, there is a lot of complexity involved and you really need to stay completely up to date with what changes may be for the operating system.
But still, the average consumer – like me or you – will probably also find the new Windows roadmap that is useful to browse just to see what new features are on the horizon. Or, if there is a capacity that you are really interested in and have not yet been given, you can use the portal to clarify if it is actually rolled out to Windows 11 PCs yet and what the expected general date of access is.
It should also help clean up confusion when certain features appear to skip test channels. There are four of these Microsoft uses, from the earliest (Canary Channel) to just before release (release test channel), and sometimes features just appear in later channels without even being presented to the early testers.
In short, this invention should allow you to more easily trace progress with everything that is in the works of Windows 11, even though I look at the timetable now, I still encounter some minor points of confusion.
Let’s take an example of the PCs Spec cards, which were spotted hidden in the background of testing, builds early this year before suddenly testing, and then pretty much right into the Windows 11’s latest preview update this week (before the release next month). Flashes and you missed progress with the special feature of testing, and its quick shifts through the gears were pretty strange to witness.
So what does the Windows timetable say about these spec -cards? First, the roll -out start date is March 2025, and what it means is the feature only rolls out now -which means a gradual implementation, so even if you have installed March -Preview update, you might not see it (yet). Expected accessibility is then listed as “April 2025-not-security-monthly update”, which means the preview update will come in late April.
What I don’t quite understand here is that the broad availability will certainly be the full May 2025-patch (which is what preview of April 2025 becomes)-so far from all downloader preview or optional (non-security) updates. Most people only get the full release, so really that after updating in May would definitely represent the full accessibility of the feature. Wouldn’t that?
Okay, so maybe nitpicking here, and I get out of the core is that for the full (non-prejudice) update in April, the PC-Spec cards will still just be rolled out and not delivered to everyone-but I think Microsoft could put this put this better.
Either way, even though there are a few wrinkles to iron out, this is of course still early days for the timetable, and it must prove to be a useful tool in keeping an eye on what is imminent for Windows 11.
