What Microsoft Says About “the Last Version of Windows”

Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows, a Microsoft developer evangelist said in a recent keynote at Ignite in Chicago, and this statement pretty much served as confirmation that the company would no longer release new stand-alone builds of Windows (with different names and everything) but will instead focus on large updates for the core OS.

Redmond’s plans to switch to Windows as a Service aren’t new, and in a statement provided this weekend, Microsoft confirms that this is the direction that its new operating system is heading towards. And yet, still nothing about any potential “last version of Windows,” as the company isn’t yet ready to talk branding.

Here’s the statement in full:

“Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers. We aren’t speaking to future branding at this time, but customers can be confident Windows 10 will remain up-to-date and power a variety of devices from PCs to phones to Surface Hub to HoloLens and Xbox. We look forward to a long future of Windows innovations.”

Just Windows

While it’s pretty hard to decipher Microsoft’s message, there are two things that we should note in this message.

First of all, Microsoft refers to the operating system as just Windows and says that it “will be delivered as a service.” No Windows 10, no Windows Threshold, no nothing. Just Windows and that’s likely to be the name of the operating system in the future, as the value of this brand could help Microsoft sell more in a much more effective way.

And second of all, Microsoft says that Windows 10 “will remain up-to-date,” which once again confirms the rolling release model that the company is set to adopt. No other big releases, but only large updates that would ship when they’re ready, thus making it easier for the company to keep computers fully up-to-date.

Of course, there are more untold details that Microsoft is expected to share soon about this new approach, but one thing is clear: the software giant is completely changing its approach to the OS market and Windows is becoming more than just a name.