This way, you'll always be up to date, it says

Sep 25, 2015 23:03 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 changes the way updates are shipped to devices across the world, and for this new release, Microsoft has adopted a new strategy, converting the operating system into Windows as a Service, which is supposed to allow the delivery of patches at a faster cadence than before.

In a TechNet article entitled “Introduction to Windows 10 Servicing,” Microsoft reveals that all Windows 10 releases will be cumulative, which means that, once you install the latest one, your computer is instantly brought up to date.

What are these new “Windows 10 releases?” Microsoft doesn't specifically define the term, but the company most likely refers to major updates that are delivered to computers running its new OS as soon as they are ready using the built-in Windows Update feature.

A handful of cumulative updates already available

Several cumulative updates have already been delivered to Windows 10 PCs in the last couple of months, so they are living proof that Microsoft's ready to go for this new approach that would keep all devices up to date if they install the latest release.

The company explains:

“New feature upgrades and servicing updates will contain the payloads of all previous releases (in an optimized form to reduce storage and networking requirements), and installing the release on a device will bring it completely up to date. Also, unlike earlier versions of Windows, you cannot install a subset of the contents of a Windows10 servicing update. For example, if a servicing update contains fixes for three security vulnerabilities and one reliability issue, deploying the update will result in the installation of all four fixes.”

The only problem with these cumulative updates is that they are shipped without a change log, so it's hard to tell what exactly they bring new.

This approach has already caused more criticism aimed at the company, which said that release notes might be provided only to enterprises and only when major updates are involved, but consumers asked the Microsoft to reconsider its decision and make this information freely available for any Windows 10 adopter.