Windows 11 will soon be able to provide a “distraction-free” experience with less clutter… as long as you are a developer with an extremely expensive PC. Microsoft just announced Project Zenith, which feels like a mixture of marketing speak and a good idea.
Project Zenith devices will come with pre-enabled settings and pre-installed apps to reduce how much developers need to do to start working. None of the features are exclusive to those devices, however. You could just manually set Windows 11 a certain way and install apps like Visual Studio Code.
Project Zenith devices also need to have at least 64 GB of unified memory and at least 250 GB/s memory bandwidth.
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But if you can already buy a PC with those specs and install apps and change settings yourself, what’s the point of Project Zenith? That’s a fair question, but I think there is a solid idea to build on.
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Windows 11 runs on over a billion devices, ranging from lightweight laptops in classrooms to powerful gaming rigs. There are different SKUs of Windows 11 already, but too many people are tossed into the standard Windows experience out of the box.
Having a configuration of Windows 11 tailored to developers is a fine idea, and I’d love to see Microsoft explore the concept further. We’re seeing that a bit on the gaming side of things with Game Mode and Project Helix.
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The concept of a tailored version of Windows is not new. Microsoft has toyed around with the idea several times over the years. We saw a glimmer of hope with Windows 10X, but that version of Windows never made it out of testing. Windows 10 S mode was another attempt to tweak the OS for certain users.
I’d love to see a dynamic version of Windows with entire components stripped out if they’re unneeded. A glorious modern version of Windows that can easily add full legacy support with the flip of a switch. But that doesn’t seem realistic.
Instead, Microsoft needs to lean into the idea of tailoring the “full fat” version of Windows 11 to different use cases. For example, a lot of people hate AI but Microsoft appears to be a big fan of it. Microsoft could have Copilot+ PCs come with AI features pre-enabled and Copilot pre-installed. The tech giant could then have a “non-AI” version of Windows 11 that has AI features disabled or not installed at all.
Alternatively, this could be done through the unboxing experience. Microsoft already asks you questions to determine how you plan to use your PC. Having different modes could make that process more impactful. But since your PC is running Windows 11, you could always enable or install what you need later.
Of course, this would require Microsoft to admit that there’s a real demand for an AI-free version of Windows 11, and that users shouldn’t need an EU mandate just to get a PC without ads.
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