Microsoft program manager Aria Carley answered questions from users of the Microsoft Tech Community about the final hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11 in a live stream on July 21.
Hardware requirements – including, but not limited to, support for TPM 2.0 – are not enforced for the Windows 11 alpha images now available; Carley mentioned that the “hardware floor” for the final versions would be real.
Despite her acknowledgment that the situation “sucks” for affected users, Carley stressed the inflexibility of the hardware floor in response to a later question and replied, “group policy will not enable you to get around hardware enforcement for Windows 11. We’re still going to block you from upgrading your device… to make sure your devices stay supported and secure.”
As expected, these answers did not go down well with the audience. According to Windows Central, the top comment of the video was: “A lot of these answers come off as super tone-deaf… it’s looking like Windows 11 will be another Windows 8.”
According to Windows Central, other comments that the seemingly unnecessary hardware requirements were a thinly disguised ploy to boost sales of new computers, which in turn would boost Windows license sales.
Microsoft’s rush with new hardware requirements seems to be very aggressive and badly handled, regardless of what anyone might think of the legitimacy of its vague security advantages.
For more information, read the original story in Arstechnica.