Redmond has already prepared the short-term plan for Windows

May 12, 2015 04:15 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 is projected to hit the shelves later this summer, but sources close to the company’s development work reveal that Microsoft has already started work on the very first update for this operating system, which is expected to see the light of day in the fall of 2015.

Details are obviously very scarce right now, and it’s something to be expected because Microsoft doesn’t want to steal Windows 10’s karma with news about the next updates, thus creating more controversy regarding the features that might not be ready in time for the summer release.

Because yes, the very first update scheduled for late 2015 is expected to bring us several new features initially planned for Windows 10 but that won’t be ready for RTM, so some users might actually be disappointed with the strategy.

But this isn’t out of the ordinary for Microsoft because the new concept of Windows as a Service would mean continuous updates, so even though some features won’t be ready for RTM, they will be here in an update coming shortly after that.

And Microsoft has three such updates planned for the next 18 months

1 in 2015, 2 in 2016

After the Windows 10 launch in July or August this year, Microsoft is planning to introduce the first update in October, possibly together with Windows 10 Mobile. This update will bring several new features, such as extension support for Microsoft Edge, but its main focus would be on fixing bugs and improving performance based on feedback received after RTM.

There are two different big updates prepared for 2016, both part of the Redstone release and expected to arrive in May or June and October next year. This time, Redstone would bring many more new features, but it’ll be interesting to see how Microsoft actually names this release.

There won’t be a Windows 11 or Windows 12, so the company could go for Windows 10.1, but only time will tell if Microsoft is ready to make the jump to just “Windows” or still go for codenames to differentiate its releases.