Microsoft will give users two ways to update their devices

Oct 4, 2014 07:59 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 Preview was launched this week with several new features, including a Start menu and multiple desktops, but Microsoft says that more are to come in future updates which should be shipped once or even twice per month.

The revamped operating system comes with a new update feature that allows Microsoft to deliver improvements and new features to devices running Windows 10 without asking for a clean install, thus making the process smoother and easier to perform on both PCs and tablets.

Now it appears that the company worked this out and came down to only two different options for the new update system that should help users configure their systems to receive improvements depending on their needs.

Rod Trent of WindowsITPro reveals that updates will be shipped in one of the two different modes, namely opt-in and lock-down, each designed for a different user category.

Opt-in versus lock-down

Last month, when the name of the new Windows was still an enigma, people familiar with Microsoft's development plans said that the new update system would help the company deliver updates at a faster pace and thus keep users' computers up to date with new features as they would be ready.

While this is quite great for consumers, not the same thing can be said about organizations, where controlling the updates installed on each PC is mandatory. Hence the introduction of the two aforementioned modes.

Opt-in will include updates, fixes, and new features that will be delivered to computers as soon as they are ready. This particular mode is very likely to be chosen by users who want to see what's new in the OS as Microsoft completes development of new options, but it's pretty obvious that bugs and other issues could be experienced.

On the other hand, the lock-down mode would appeal to businesses and organizations, where keeping an eye on updates is much more important. Companies would be in full control of the improvements delivered to computers, and only updates and security fixes would be shipped, so no new features which could represent a risk of bugs affecting performance.

Plethora of new features coming

Windows 10 Preview indeed comes with several new features, but Microsoft says that more are to come in the next updates, and going for the opt-in mode is the only way to get them.

Cortana, for instance, could be shipped to some computers in the next few months, although it's not yet clear whether Microsoft wants to unveil it before the final launch of Windows 10 or not. Some sources have told us that this is very likely, but the plan could change before spring 2015.

Internet Explorer 12 is also on the feature list of the new OS, but information on this project is still vague right now. Details coming from insiders reveal that IE12 could come not only with a new look, but also with extension support to better compete with Firefox and Google Chrome.