Yep, these two things are now mandatory if you are setting up Windows 11, Home edition. During the Windows 11 event, Microsoft revealed that an MSA and a network connection are required to finish the setup.
Earlier, in Windows 10, and now in Windows 11 Pro, it is still possible to bypass the Microsoft Account requirement, either by entering some invalid data or by installing the OS offline.
In case of Windows 11 Home, this no longer works. Microsoft says that consumers must have an Internet connection to get the device ready for work and avoid some "confusion".
Some users may not care, but I pretty sure that for many it is an unfortunate change. Having a local account only is the only way for some us to use Windows. This option appears to be eliminated. If you want to have some flexibility - go with Windows 11 Pro.
Finally, Windows 11 will now only work on 64-bit computers, drops 32-bit architecture support. Check out its full hardware specs here.
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It’s been a while now that the Home version of Windows is no longer for power users (e.g. with auto-updates and data collection that you cant refuse) If you want choice, you need to pay more and upgrade to Pro :/
Indeed. Home edition doesn’t look attractive.