14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 version 2004 is just around the corner, as Microsoft is projected to release it to production devices in April or in May.
The version number is an indication that the update is supposed to be signed off next month, as the first two digits represent the year when a new release is finalized, while the last two stand for the month when this happens. In other words, Windows 10 version 2004 should be ready in April 2020, so the rollout to devices is likely to kick off the same month or in May.
Naturally, after Windows 10 version 1909, or November 2019 Update, was a little bit more than a service pack, this new release will bring many more important features, including refinements for the web search previews in the built-in search.
Windows 10 is making it a lot more convenient to search for information both offline and online, as the native search experience comes with Bing pre-loaded. In other words, the whole thing is carried out by the Bing search engine, so you can get online results right on the desktop.
Such an implementation allows for a series of other features in Windows 10, including web previews, which display information in the search UI without users having to open a separate window.
In Windows 10 version 2004, Microsoft further refines this feature by improving the web previews, and a search for the weather in a specific location is the best example.
For example, a search for “San Francisco weather” brings forward an updated preview that provides you with quick information on the current temperature, chances of precipitations, wind, and the forecast for the next few days. Additionally, a slider in the web preview allows you to view the weather forecast throughout the day to see how conditions change in a few hours.
All of this is possible right from the search UI without the need for opening a browser instance or another window.
The web previews work together with quick searches, a new feature that makes it a lot more straightforward to search for certain information from the desktop. In addition to weather, the quick searches support top news, today in history, new movies, and quizzes.
“To preview these web answers and results, select the search box to open Search Home, then choose one of the quick search buttons. Need quick answers about other topics or searches? Just enter a query into the search box for quick results about almost everything,” Microsoft said when it announced the new feature.
The quick searches are again powered by Bing, so you must have the online search activated in Windows 10.
On the other hand, as some of us learned the hard way recently, having Bing integrated into the Windows search isn’t always the best approach. Due to a server issue experienced in February, the Bing search encountered an outage, breaking down the search feature in Windows 10 completely. The issue was resolved rather quickly, but it still showed that Microsoft’s implementation wasn’t flawless and allowed for similar problems to be hit in the future.
For the time being, Bing is a good addition to the Windows 10 search feature arsenal when everything’s working according to the plan, and the release of version 2004 further polishes this feature.
Microsoft hasn’t yet announced the launch date of the new Windows 10 update. The company refers to this release as version 2004, but an official name is yet to be disclosed, so expect such info in the coming weeks.