Redstone is due in the summer of 2016, sources say

Nov 20, 2015 06:31 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 Threshold 2 is here, so Microsoft can start focusing on the very next update for its operating system that, according to people close to the matter, is codenamed Redstone.

And it turns out that this is exactly what Microsoft's doing right now, with some recent changes made to Windows Insider branches showing that the company's getting ready to ship the very first preview builds of Redstone to its testers.

What is Redstone?

But first and foremost, let's see what Redstone is all about.

Basically, when Microsoft completed development of Windows 10, the company said that this was “the latest version of Windows,” meaning that no other versions of the operating system would be released. In other words, there won't be a Windows 11, Windows 12, or Windows 13, because Microsoft just wants to stick to Windows 10.

Instead of rolling out new versions of Windows every three years, Microsoft switched to what it calls “Windows as a Service,” which is a completely new approach that's supposed to bring updates at a much faster pace.

How fast? That's yet to be determined, but judging from the strategy so far, this is how Microsoft plans to update Windows 10:  

Cumulative updates – as soon as they're ready
OS updates (such as Threshold 2, also cumulative) – two or three times per year
Major update – once a year

In other words, after several cumulative updates and Threshold 2, it's now time to get ready for Redstone, which is supposedly that major update that everyone's expecting.

Development and features

Even though Microsoft's now preparing to ship Redstone to insiders, work on this particular project actually started a few months ago, most likely when Windows 10 was ready in July. People close to the matter hinted that some internal builds have already been tested behind the closed doors, but as you'd expect, only small changes were available.

Redstone is supposed to bring significant feature improvements from the very beginning, so expect this particular version to offer much more than Threshold 2, for example.

Windows 11? Not going to happen.

One of the features that will be part of Redstone is support for browser extensions, which is probably the most anticipated option for Edge (that and an ad blocker, but we all know this isn't going to happen).

In addition, Redstone will also refine the overall experience with Windows 10, which is critical for Microsoft in order to deliver continuously improved performance for its operating system. By the time Redstone lands, Microsoft expects at least half of the PCs running previous versions of Windows to already be upgraded to Windows 10.

Release date

There are currently two different rumors swirling around the web regarding the release date of Redstone, but both claim that the launch will take place in 2016. And this makes sense actually.

Rumor #1 – One wave

Some previous reports on the Redstone release date indicated that Microsoft was targeting the summer of 2016 as the date when everyone should be getting the update.

There's some logic behind this rumored launch date because Redstone would thus arrive one year after the original version of Windows 10. Given the fact that Microsoft no longer wants to release “new versions of Windows,” but stick to one major update every 12 months, seeing Redstone going live in the summer of 2016 is one possible scenario.

Rumor #2 – Two waves

On the other hand, there are pundits who claim that Redstone could actually arrive in two different waves, with a few months before releases.

Basically, the first of the two waves would arrive in the spring of 2016, while the next one would land in the fall. And since Microsoft's calling the new Windows Insider branch “rs1_release,” such a release schedule could make sense, with a first rollout to take place sometime in the next six months.

But again, keep in mind that Redstone is still in its early days right now and a lot could change in the meantime. This is one of the reasons Microsoft refuses to share too much info on its Windows work, as it knows that delaying a build or release just because it discovered a major bug overnight would only cause more criticism from the community.

So for the moment, take everything with a pinch of salt and wait till a confirmation arrives.