In one new publication, Microsoft apologized for the confusion it caused with the minimum system requirements of Windows 11 last week and promised to "adjust" them based on customer feedback. With the same publication, the company tried to explain the two most controversial elements of the list: the requirement for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 but also the CPU compatibility list that excludes most processors before 2018.
Microsoft also pulled the app pc health check, acknowledging that it's "not as precise as to why a Windows 10 PC doesn't meet the upgrade requirements." The app will reappear before Windows 11's projected release date later this year (most likely in October).
“Τα Windows 11 ανεβάζουν τη γραμμή ασφαλείας με την απαίτηση hardware που επιτρέπει προστασίες όπως το Windows Hello, Device Encryption, virtualization-based security (VBS), hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI) και Secure Boot. Ο plusδυασμός αυτών των λειτουργιών έχει αποδειχθεί ότι μειώνει το κακόβουλο λογισμικό κατά 60% σε δοκιμασμένες συσκευές. Για την τήρηση αυτής της αρχής, όλες οι υποστηριζόμενες από τα Windows 11 CPU διαθέτουν ενσωματωμένο TPM, υποστηρίζουν μια ασφαλή εκκίνηση, και συγκεκριμένες δυνατότητες VBS.
[...]Using the above principles, we are confident that devices running Intel 8th generation processors and AMD Zen 2 as well as Qualcomm 7 and 8 Series will meet the security and reliability requirements.
Σύμφωνα με τη Microsoft, οι “συνεργάτες OEM έχουν εμπειρία 99,8% χωρίς σφάλματα” σε δοκιμαστικές εκδόσεις των Windows 11. Η εταιρεία αναφέρει μάλιστα ότι η απαίτηση της CPU θα μπορούσε να αναθεωρηθεί ώστε να περιλαμβάνει ορισμένα παλαιότερα μοντέλα της Intel και της AMD. Η σημερινή πρώτη version Insider Preview που κυκλοφορεί, μπορεί να εγκατασταθεί και να τρέξει σε μη υποστηριζόμενο hardware. Η εταιρεία αναφέρει ότι θα “δοκιμάσει να εντοπίσει συσκευές που λειτουργούν σε Intel 7ης γενιάς και AMD Zen 1 και που ενδέχεται να πληρούν τις προϋποθέσεις μας.”
Microsoft says the current requirements will allow upgrades to most computers sold in the last 18 to 24 months. That is, with 8th generation Intel processors and AMD's Zen 2 series. Intel products were released in September 2017, which means that only high quality PCs sold in 2018 are equipped with these CPUs. AMD's Zen 2 series (third generation Ryzen processors) was released in 2019.
90% of 2020 PC sales and about 60% of 2019 PC sales meet these minimum requirements, with most 2018 models (based on previous 7th generation CPUs and AMD Zen 1 models) failing to meet compatibility level of Windows 11. This means that the population of Windows PCs that can be upgraded to Windows 11 is probably 500 million, or about 38% of the one billion + active Windows 10 PCs listed by Microsoft.
The company's commitment to use trial versions of Windows Insider to identify older CPUs that can run Windows 11 smoothly is a good start, but we'll have to wait longer. If you have a system that runs on a very fast and high quality 7th generation Intel processor, can it be cut? The company should review immediately…
