Microsoft is a very interesting company. Windows 10 is nine months away from the end of support, but the company is still adding new features to it while also trying to move as many users to Windows 11 as possible. Moreover, those features are quite questionable (if not useless), and they improve things that lie completely abandoned in Windows 11.
In the latest episode of “stuff that nobody asked for for the dying OS,” we have cute little artworks in the calendar flyout to showcase various important events and celebrations.
X user @phantomofearth noticed that the latest Windows 10 Release Preview build 19045.5435 adds a few extra bits to the taskbar calendar. You can toggle on or off weather, holidays and events, and holiday illustrations. Turning these bits on places a weather forecast next to your agenda and little illustrations next to today’s date. For example, Valentine’s Day on February 14 has roses and purple hearts; how cute. Useless? Pretty much, but still, it’s a nice touch.
This addition is similar to Search Highlights, which are small daily images that appear in the search box on the taskbar. They are not very useful, plus clicking them gets you to Bing, but some users like how Windows surprises you with daily images and some interesting facts about current events, holidays, or just random stuff.
Watching Microsoft add stuff to the soon-to-be-dead OS is quite puzzling, considering the poor state of Windows 11’s stock taskbar. The calendar flyout still does not allow adding or viewing events—it is a primitive calendar with nothing useful, and it has remained in that state since its initial release in late 2021, forcing users to fix things with the help of third-party apps like Calendar Flyout or Battery Flyout. Even the Windows 10 Insider Program is still active, with the most recent release on Jan 17 adding “Outlook (new)” as Microsoft continues its push to forcefully move people off Mail, Calendar, and People apps.
Fun illustrations are cool and everything, but can we have some much-needed upgrades for Windows 11’s taskbar? Microsoft tries so hard to make everyone move to Windows 11, but instead of addressing popular requests to make the OS more appealing (a lot of people are discontent with Windows 11’s absolutely lame calendar flyout), the company adds cute images in Windows 10. Come on, Microsoft.