Windows 11: how Panos Panay wants to change the philosophy and use of modern PCs

Windows 11 is now available on all compatible PCs. Frandroid was able to speak with Panos Panay, now behind the Surface and Windows 11 products. Eternal enthusiast, the new strongman of Microsoft confides in his mission as well as in his expectations for the future of the company.

Panos Panay, Microsoft's new Windows gentleman // Source: Microsoft

[Interview originally published October 6, 2021]

They had sworn it would be the last. After Windows 10, the deluge. Finally, no other name, but frequent updates to boost the operating system launched in 2015. Six years later, Windows 11 is available on compatible machines.

“We did not change our minds and wanted to upset everything. We simply thought about everyone's needs and how to meet them, ”explains Frandroid Panos Panay, head of Windows and Surface at Microsoft. The one who took his first steps into the light with the successful (and surprise) launch of the Surface Pro tablet in 2012, before taking charge of the destinies of all home products, is now the man at the controls of the operating system. from Microsoft. A double hat that does not scare him at all.

Because Panos Panay is a passionate man, always jovial and talkative when it comes to talking about his favorite subjects. “Windows is in the moment,” he blurts out when asked what happened to make Microsoft change its tune. “It's always about innovations for the future, continuous innovation. We want to understand people's needs, where they want to go and find out how to help them get there in the best conditions. It's true for Surface products, it's also true for Windows. »

"It was important to move the platform forward"

Was it necessary to launch a new OS for all that? Yes, he insists without wanting to speak of a revolution. For Panos Panay, the PC he cherishes so much has taken a huge place in our lives and for that he must have the best system. “It has become a central point in the way we keep in touch, work, learn, teach or have fun. When we thought of Windows 11, it was clear in our minds that it should serve to make people more creative and productive, to inspire them to exploit their full potential. Why wouldn't we want to? “, notes the new strong man of Satya Nadella. “I think it was important to push the platform forward and I think it will be important to keep pushing it forward for many years to come. »

Panos Panos at the Surface conference in New York (2019) // Source: FRANDROID – Melinda DAVAN-SOULAS

When asked to describe Windows 11, Panos Panay is bound to be inexhaustible. “Quiet and welcoming” is how he wants to present the new system. He promises there's nothing to worry about for those who were on Windows 10, "it's still a familiar place. You will easily find your bearings. “No major upheavals in sight, but change, because Windows 11 above all wanted to be ready for” this new hybrid world “, as he calls it. The one where each user is permanently mobile, in multi-use and ultra-versatile mode.

To make that difference, Microsoft wanted to pay attention to every detail so everyone could get the most out of it. “Multitasking is now powerful, you can manage multiple offices, display widgets, stay in touch with the people you love using different tools like Teams. The set is beautiful and fluid. When you put it all together, it gives a new feeling and that's what's most important to me,” says the OS boss. Beautiful, powerful, but demanding, as some critics have pointed out, questioning Windows 11's ability to run on slightly older machines. But the interested party wants to believe that a maximum of PCs will be ready to welcome him.

Not the easiest childbirth

Yet the birth of Windows 11 was not painless as Covid hit the planet and the pandemic forced everyone to work from home. “We had obviously started the project before. But we built it during the pandemic. Somewhere we designed a product while testing it ourselves. It allowed us to do our own feedback and see in real conditions. We actually served as guinea pigs,” he recalls amusedly.

And it also allowed Windows 11 to take a more marked direction that might not have gone so soon otherwise, admits Panos Panay: "It allowed us to bring nuances to the way users needed to no longer be stuck at their workstation and to move from one place to another, to evolve in this new workspace, mixing professional and private life. The transformation of Windows 11, capable of adapting to each moment, took place in this not necessarily obvious period, with its share of complications and surprises.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 tablet is on board // Source: FRANDROID

This one....! Jeyu's taking a selca and I took a video of him so I was scolded😱😱 https://t.co/1dI4rsS0dd

— TO1 FANCAFE Fri Jul 30 05:17:41 +0000 2021

“As we built the product, we were learning just as much about our uses and those we wanted to inject. It's quite exciting to think that our thoughts can make a difference for the user,” he summarizes. “And I feel like we kind of struck a good balance. I'm so proud of the whole team. Passion is useful in these cases to solve and overcome all the problems”.

He speaks with the same enthusiasm of his four children as of his other “babies”. With the same passion. But as with his children, he refuses to name a favorite when asked. And this also applies to the new features of Windows 11. “It's difficult to pull a function out of the hat. When I sit down and look at Windows, I'm proud of the work we all managed to accomplish together,” he says while kicking. “What comes to mind first is how the whole system works in conjunction with the hardware, that's what makes it beautiful. »

And to mention, however, the notification thread that appears on the right of your screen, the widgets on the left with all the useful information and organized as you wish with bonus AI support, the multi-window that does not prevent cut yourself off from what you do and have eyes everywhere… “I'll never be lost in what I do. Everything is always within easy reach,” enthuses Panos Panay. "At any time, we easily know where we are with our productivity, our activities, our important information and that's what we were looking for above all"

Multitasking is better organized than ever in Windows 11 // Source: FRANDROID

The Microsoft Store, the great advance of minds too

If there is a success in the new Windows 11 of which Panos Panay does not hide its pride, it is the turn taken by the Microsoft Store. Admittedly, Microsoft Edge has become an ambitious browser, rich in improvements and proposals, also a sign of the firm's openness to the outside world with a product now available everywhere (macOS, Android, iOS, etc.). But the store wants to mark a change in mentalities at a time when Apple had to go back a little on its convictions after the lawsuit against Epic Games, while also allowing Microsoft to mark its territory and minds with a change of course. strong enough.

“We wanted to offer the best possible platform in the world so that our customers had what they needed. If we wanted Windows to be a tool for inspiration, we had to make it as open as possible to find everything you want, but also as secure as possible,” says Mr. Windows. The result is a Store which will eventually offer Android applications through a partnership with Amazon, but which has also opened up to others such as the Epic Games Store which now has a storefront. It must be said that there are no more commission fees for developers wanting to put their application, software or game there. A big snub to the competition too and a bold bet for Microsoft.

More than multiplying the choices for the user and making its store attractive to developers, Microsoft also wants to ensure a form of popularity for its offer, while avoiding giving up the opportunity to download its content on third-party platforms. , often poorly secured. “We want to rally developers and customers alike to our cause. For everyone to say to themselves: “oh great, let's go because everything I need, I can have it there from Windows”, ”slips Panos Panay to us.

When asked if it makes financial sense not to charge an entry fee, Panos Panay advances the common good as always: “I think that's what modern PCs and their users need too. As Satya says, "Windows is a platform for creators of all kinds." It inspires me because it's so true. »

"Managing Surface and Windows, a huge responsibility not to be taken lightly"

"Any interaction between a human and a machine can be improved when all the contours of the experience, both hardware and software, are taken into account and work together", explained Steve Ballmer, boss of Microsoft in 2012, by unveiling the Surface Pro and when the company had discovered a new star in the person of Panos Panay, an explosive character in the midst of executives often dressed to the nines. Nearly two decades later, Panay has taken up the mantra of his former boss to make it his guideline for “home PCs”, but also for Windows.

Source: FRANDROID

But don't think it's easier to manage everything now that he has a 360° eye on software and hardware. “It takes a lot more humility, I would say,” he replies when asked if it's now easier for him. “It's a huge responsibility that should not be taken lightly. I see this as a huge opportunity as well as a responsibility. I like to see where we started from and remember that we are only at the beginning of the journey. The next time I come to Paris, I will tell you what we are going to do and where we are going. I see magic, incredible things in sight. It's going to be very fun. »

He will say no more about the future of Windows 11. But an appointment is made to solve the mystery.

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