Microsoft made an announcement on Thursday April 16th that the latest version of Windows 10 has reached its "final" build, build 19041.207.
If you are part of the Insider program of Windows 10, you will soon be receiving this copy of windows. The "Release Preview" ring in the Insider Program gets members early access to new upcoming updates. Even though still technically beta versions, the "Release Preview" ring receives essentially the final version of upcoming updates before the general public does. Right now the update is set to roll out sometime in May 2020, with no specific date at this moment.
To make sure this "final" version is top notch and to make sure they fulfill their normal servicing of their OS, they are reserving their right to push out bug fixes until the final release date. “We will continue to improve the overall experience of the May 2020 Update on customers’ PCs as part of our normal servicing cadence,” wrote Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager of the Windows Insider program, in a blog post.
Before any update, make sure to get your data backed up by a professional, a friend or simply do it yourself.
Microsoft has slowly been working the "kinks" or bugs out of this final build, most likely to try and prevent another problem like the 2018 update bug that erased all user data. Users were super upset of that glitch and the glitch added more damage to Microsoft's reputation. They stopped adding features to the new update around November 2019 and started working on bug fixes almost immediately after.
I personally think Microsoft should take their time rolling out any kind of update to prevent catastrophic issues.
COVID-19 not only slowed down or essentially halted small businesses, but also slowed down the efforts of Microsoft to make this new roll out as seamless as possible. Senior project manager Jason Howard, in a Mixer Broadcast, noted that they had to cancel a scheduled "bug bash".
What To Expect In The New Update
Even though Microsoft is taking their sweet time preparing for the Windows 10 May 2020 update, we haven't had much time to take a look at it. We only did open our business on the 1st of April. Here is what we have seen for users to expect.
Updates are usually of 3 different levels.
Level 1 being "lets fix some bugs and slap an update label on it"
Level 2 being "Lets add a few new features and fix some bugs"
Level 3 being a whole new "Creators Update" style update that promises DRAMATIC changes
Oddly enough, most of the changes you will have to hunt down and install yourself within the OS. For example, the Windows Subsystem Linux is optional. Your phone also has been making headway in becoming a big contributor to your core Windows experience with Phone Companion over the last year or so.
Microsoft also started back up with scattering little changes, or useful improvements, all around the OS. DirectX 12 Ultimate has been announced by Microsoft in March that features a more improved ray-tracing support. Of course, you'll need dedicated hardware and game support for it to work. This ray-tracing technology should be included in the 10 May 2020 update also.
More details and updates will be announced by Microsoft, as they promised to release them as the general roll-out nears. So be expecting more as they come.
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