What I don't like
There are some issues
Screenshot of a Windows 11 desktop with two Vivaldi windows open and no indication in ObjectDesktop on how to switch between them
One of the bigger problems you may have with ObjectDock is that the QuickLaunch dock doesn't work quite as well when it comes to showing you multiple instances of the same app. You'll always see a single icon for each app, so if you have multiple windows of that app, the only way to switch between them is to repeatedly click the icon as it switches between each window. There's no way to tell how many windows are open for a specific app, either.
I've also noticed a strange bug where the Settings app will randomly appear on my QuickLaunch dock despite not being open. It's not a big deal, but certainly strange.
I can't see notification indicators
Screenshot of a Windows 11 desktop with notifications open and ObjectDock displaying a QuickLaunch dock
All of my complaints with ObjectDock could be considered nitpicks, but they're worth mentioning all the same. Broadly speaking, the main complaint is that while the app works on Windows 10 and 11, it feels like it isn't made for these operating systems. It sort of feels like it's a little stuck in the past.
One big way this happens is that hiding the taskbar means I have no visible way to see if I have receive notifications on my PC. Of course, I can always use a keyboard shortcut to see it, but it would be nice to have a visual indication of when I have notifications on the Quick Launch dock, for example. After all, ObjectDock does include clock and calendar icons you can use for those purposes, so I think a similar button that shows whether I have notifications or not would be really useful. On the topic of the clock icons, it would also be nice to have a digital clock option, I'm not a big fan of analog clocks.
The design doesn't feel modern
Screenshot of customization options in Objectdock
While I was able to get ObjectDock to look pretty nice by my standards, the overall design is another area that makes this app feel like it was just ported to Windows 11, rather than updated for it. All the icons used still feel like they come from the Windows 7 era, including the Start menu icon, which feels really out of place these days.
The same goes for all the customization styles available, which are all very old feeling. Even the option I went with for my QuickLaunch dock feels like it came from Windows 7, even if it still looks nice. I get that designing a ton of new styles probably wouldn't be feasible, but it would have been nice to see at least some default styles that fit in better on Windows 11. For example, the tabbed docks could have a look more similar to the tabs used in Start11, which is also made by Stardock. A similar design language for the QuickLaunch dock would be nice, too.
Screenshot of a Start11 Start menu with the Windows App style
Related
Start11 v2 review: Making the Windows 11 Start menu actually useful
With tons of configuration options for appearance and organization, Start11 makes the Start menu and taskbar so much richer
ObjectDock is backed by a community on mods as well, but going to the website, all the customizations available right now feel just as dated, because the platform hasn't really been updated for the new ObjectDock.
Overall, this just feels like a very soft re-launch of the app, and maybe Stardock is still gauging interest to see if it's worth doing more work to modernize ObjectDock. I hope that's the case, as I'd love to see the app feel more like a part of Windows 11.
And more please: Show system tray icons.
