Microsoft's Windows 11 quality report lacks data, ZDNet says

The report, shared last week by Microsoft Windows chief Pavan Davuluri, follows an open letter earlier this year in which Davuluri acknowledged customer frustration and pledged more control over updates, a more intentional approach to AI, and better performance. In the new report, Microsoft says it has made improvements to memory efficiency, boot and logon times, and the responsiveness of File Explorer, Search, and Snipping Tool. It also says Widgets and feeds will be quieter by default, and users will get more control over Start and the taskbar.

But the ZDNet analysis notes that none of the performance boasts are accompanied by benchmarks or other measurable outcomes, making the claims impossible for outsiders to verify. The improvements to File Explorer include "foundational architecture enhancements" and fixes to longstanding issues such as unstable Home transitions, blurry thumbnails, and keyboard navigation problems. Microsoft says these are part of a broader focus on "everyday experiences that should just work."

The report itself, according to ZDNet, is less a list of successes than a summary of work in progress, with many changes visible only to Windows Insider testers and unlikely to reach the general public until around early October. ZDNet argues that the list of fixes is an implicit confession that Microsoft had been ignoring user feedback for years, as Windows has increasingly become a platform for promoting other Microsoft services.

The ZDNet article also points out that Microsoft's pressure to monetize Windows through ads and cross-selling remains a concern, and that the quality improvements, while welcome, come after Windows 11 has been generally available for nearly five years.