14 DAY TRIAL // A new report that’s making the rounds lately, and which cannot be verified right now because it points to early Microsoft plans for its phone platform, indicates that Redstone 3 could be the last update for Windows 10 Mobile.
There’s a lot of speculation right now, and this is why it’s very important to take everything with a pinch of salt for the time being, but Spanish website OneWindows writes that Microsoft is currently discussing several changes aimed at its mobile platform that would make Redstone 3 the last major update for Windows 10 Mobile.
While at first glance this could sound like the end of Microsoft’s smartphone platform, there are a few other details that seem to point to a change of strategy rather than to a complete demise of mobile.
Windows 10 Mobile support
First and foremost, what we know for sure is that Windows 10 Mobile will still receive support until at least October 2018. According to Microsoft’s own data, Windows 10 Mobile build 10586 (also known as Threshold 2) will receive updates until January 9, 2018, while build 14393 (Redstone 1) will reach end of support until October 9, 2018.
With the Creators Update also landing on mobile devices, Windows 10 Mobile should be safe until at least early 2019, but specifics will be announced by Microsoft after the launch of the OS. Redstone 3 would obviously extend support for Windows 10 Mobile, but again, no details are available.
If the aforementioned report is accurate, then Redstone 3 would be specifically focused on improving the UI, performance, Continuum, Cortana, and other new features, but what’s yet not clear is who exactly is going to get all these features. Microsoft released Windows 10 Mobile only for half of its Windows phones, and it’s clearly too early to tell whether everyone on Windows 10 will get Redstone 3 as well.
What’s next?
So if Redstone 3 is indeed the last major update for Windows 10 Mobile, does this mean that Microsoft is done with phones? Not necessarily, as Microsoft could pursue other opportunities, including Windows 10 on ARM.
This implementation makes it possible for Microsoft to run full Windows 10 on ARM chips, and it’s believed that the company’s upcoming Surface Phone, if it really exists, could make full use of this technology. As a result, Surface Phone could unleash the full power of Windows 10 when connected to an external display with Continuum.
Windows 10 Cloud, a recently discovered SKU of Windows 10 and limited to UWP apps, could also play a role in Microsoft’s mobile strategy, but for the moment, it’s all about guessing and it doesn’t make sense since we don’t know for sure if this report is true or not.
But in the end, although Windows 10 Mobile might reach its end in the coming years, this doesn’t mean that Microsoft is leaving phones. For what it’s worth, it just seems to be a change of strategy and nothing more.