On Tuesday 7th, June 2022, Microsoft released its final upgrade of the Windows 11 operating system dubbed “22H2” to Preview Testers through its Release Preview channel. However, the software accidentally became available for pending supported devices. The company has since launched an investigation into that, and we’ll be interested to hear what they say.
It’s important to note that this is not the first time that 22H2 is coming to the public domain, as the operating system has been available as a free upgrade but only for a select number of supported devices since 11th October 2021. Of course, Windows 11 supports all devices with the following features, but it’s yet to become available for all those devices;
- Processor: 1GHz or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit architecture or system on a Chip(SoC).
- System Memory Capacity: 4GB.
- Graphics Card: DirectX12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Internal Storage: 64GB or more significant.
Because of this manner of selective releases, many disappointed fans have accused the Bill Gates company of bias. To calm them down and fix the PR mess, Microsoft has explained that it opts for gradual launches to manage demand by prioritizing newer hardware.
Microsoft Inadvertently Releases Windows 11 For Unsupported Devices, Leaving Social Media Abuzz With Excitement and Criticism
It was interesting to see how dozens of Reddit and Twitter users quickly detected Microsoft’s Windows 11 mistake, with some calling it a bug. Others criticized those who brought it to the attention of Microsoft, with one Twitter user “Lucas 3lian,” calling another Twitter user “Barb Bowman”; or “Microsoft Snitch.” The most interesting part, however, was the hundreds of Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program that took advantage of the situation to upgrade their operating systems without wasting any time.
.@windowsinsider my unqualified 7th gen W10 machine Release Preview channel is being offered Windows 11. pic.twitter.com/lSC74OJpbP
— Barb Bowman 🌷💙💛 (@barbbowman) June 8, 2022
Releases Windows 11 for Pending Eligible Devices, and Here’s What It Means
It’s good news for those with Windows 11-supported devices that Microsoft hasn’t officially availed this OS yet. They can upgrade their operating systems before Microsoft takes control of this situation by going to Microsoft’s Windows 11 download page to download, install, and activate the software for free.
Unfortunately, those with gadgets that aren’t supported cannot benefit from this situation. Microsoft is known to be so strict on its Windows requirements that non-compatible devices cannot even run its new software in Beta mode, let alone the normal mode.
Also read: Macbook Air 2022 Release Price & Noteworthy Features
It’s Becoming a Common Mistake
It’s not the first time Microsoft has made an accidental release mistake. In 2019, the company again inadvertently released a Windows 10 Preview build to every ring of the Windows Insider Program before quickly pulling it down. In 2017, it again accidentally released internal Windows 10 builds, a mistake that the company quickly blamed on the inadvertent deployment of the engineering system that controls the release of builds to the Windows Insiders.
These consistent mistakes highlight Microsoft’s flawed internal security mechanisms for protecting its new products and upgrades. Maybe this serves as a cautionary tale that the company should review these mechanisms before something worse happens. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will do that or not.
This article is published by Infostor.com (c)
