Microsoft has introduced a roadmap for Windows 11 that takes customers all the way to ... April 2025.

[1]According to Microsoft, the curious [2]website is "a step forward in increasing transparency."

Microsoft reckons there is a "need for more transparency around what's shipping and when so that you can manage change for your estate."

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That might be laudable, however, the problem is the expected availability dates in the roadmap tend to be so close that IT professionals will not have had time to prepare for them. For example, Improved Voice Access is expected to be available in the non-security update scheduled for April 2025.

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April, at the time of writing, is days away.

Still, considering that Copilot+ PC is the platform to which the features are coming, administrators are unlikely to have estates rammed full of those. To put it mildly, [6]the Copilot+ PC has yet to ignite the market .

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The roadmap also serves to highlight Microsoft's habit of leaving functionality in preview, with no clear date for general availability. Click to Do? In preview. Recall? Also in preview since November 2024 – Microsoft doesn't like to talk about the [8]disastrous first look at 2024's Build event, after which security professionals [9]tore the snapshotter to shreds .

[10]Microsoft patches patch that broke USB printing in Windows 11

[11]Don't want Copilot app on your Windows 11 machine? Install this official update

[12]Printers start speaking in tongues after Windows 11 update

[13]Windows 11 adoption picking up speed, but older sibling still ahead

Microsoft's introduction of a roadmap for Windows 11 should be welcomed as it could save IT professionals from the tedious task of trawling through Windows Insider blog posts to determine what might be coming next. However, the content is skewed toward consumer features, and the lack of estimates for when these features will reach general availability is frustrating.

To be truly useful to IT pros, the roadmap must include features important to enterprises, such as when Microsoft plans to stop breaking printing with seemingly every patch, and also estimated dates for features measured in months rather than weeks in order to facilitate planning.

Microsoft did say "This is just the beginning!" and noted the roadmap is initially focused on client devices "as that is where we're adding the majority of improvements and new features at this time."

Administrators will be waiting with bated breath for " [14]Windows Server 2025 surprise installation " to appear at some point in the future. Or perhaps a "Remove artificial Windows 10 upgrade block" around the October 2025 time frame. ®

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[1] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/introducing-the-windows-11-roadmap/4397783

[2] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/business/roadmap

[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z-bVtq1OlDU_Amfm2JUbSAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-bVtq1OlDU_Amfm2JUbSAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z-bVtq1OlDU_Amfm2JUbSAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/06/ai_copilot_pc_sales/

[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-bVtq1OlDU_Amfm2JUbSAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/22/windows_recall/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/04/microsoft_analysts_recall/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/26/microsoft_deborks_usb_printers/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/17/copilot_windows_update/

[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/12/printer_bug_windows_11/

[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/03/windows_11_adoption/

[14] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/06/windows_server_2025_surprise/

[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/