Panos Panay is at it again! The Chief Product Officer at Microsoft has been hinting at some of the new features that are coming to Windows 11, including his latest tease of a Spotify integration.
While the Windows team is gearing up for the debut of the new OS later this fall, Panay has taken to Twitter this week to highlight some of the work the engineers over at Redmond have been pouring over the apps and integrations in the new operating system.
His most recently showed us how the Snipping Tool is shaping up.
And now, in a short video posted, Panay has teased the new “Focus Session” coming to Windows 11, which is basically a very brief showcase of how Spotify will be integrated into the Alarm Clock. This will enable users to select a playlist to play during a curated timeframe created in the Clock app.
Observe:
Another first look from the team…#FocusSessions on #Windows11 coming soon. This has been a game-changer for me, especially with @Spotify integration #Productivity #Creativity #WindowsInsiders pic.twitter.com/HfJh4niDiS
— Panos Panay (@panos_panay) August 5, 2021
Not too many details were provided, but it is clear that this functionality is a straightforward blend of Focus Assist and Spotify playlists. You can set specific time lengths for your Focused Sessions, as well as your desired music stream to play during the length.
This isn’t exactly a new feature, in that something like this is already possible in Windows 10.
However, the accessibility and functionality being highlighted for Windows 11 is the convenience of being able to select a Spotify playlist without having to open the full app.
And that seems to be what the new OS is all about: subtle improvements like these.
All Comments
Such frivolous features portrayed as breakthroughs. I don’t care about having music coming from the Alarm Clock app. Well, maybe some do. I set my alarm because I want to be up. Once I am up, I am busy, and music is my last concern.
I hope the attention paid to such trivia is not an indication that Windows 11 is mostly a show-case for a bunch of trivia. I want real features. Like a properly usable start menu, one that has gone thru the necessary iterations of user feedback to hone it to something acceptably pleasant and flexible and efficient.