14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is now giving the final touches to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (internally codenamed Redstone 3), but at the same time, the company is also planning to begin shipping the very first builds previewing the next Windows 10 release known as Redstone 4.
Windows Insider boss Dona Sarkar explained that users who have enrolled in the Skip Ahead channel will get these early builds of Windows 10 Redstone 4 very soon, presumably next week, while insiders who are still part of the Fast or Slow rings will continue receiving Fall Creators Update builds.
Only under-the-hood changes at first
It goes without saying that at first, the Redstone 4 builds won’t bring any visible changes, and this is exactly what happened every time the software giant started work on a new Windows 10 version. It takes some time before breaking changes are shipped, and the first builds are only paving the road for new features.
“Insiders in the Fast ring have been getting new builds from this branch over the last few weeks now. We are now at the point of the development cycle for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update where our focus is now on stabilization for release to the world. This means that we intend to release these builds to Insiders more quickly to both the Fast and Slow rings as these builds we include mostly bug fixes,” Dona Sarkar explained.
“For Insiders who joined Skip Ahead, we will continue to release builds from the RS_PRERELEASE branch but they won’t be released at the same pace as builds from RS3_RELEASE. Since we are just now beginning development for RS4, Insiders will soon notice a jump in build numbers just like we did early in RS3. Also because we are just beginning development for RS4, Insiders shouldn’t expect to see a lot of big changes or new features just yet.”
The next Windows 10 version after the Fall Creators Update is expected in the spring of 2018, and Microsoft should finalize it in March, according to the company’s schedule bringing two different updates for the operating system every year.