14 DAY TRIAL // The next feature update for Windows 10 won’t come with as many new features as the May 2019 Update, for example, and several high-profile Microsoft watchers actually describe it as a little bit more than a service pack.
While Microsoft avoids using the service pack name for this new version, it’s pretty clear that Windows 10 19H2 won’t be a significant release from a feature perspective.
The public testing of 19H2 started only recently, so considering that it’s supposed to be finalized in September, it’s obvious that Microsoft isn’t planning any significant changes.
New features typically require more thorough testing, and with a little more than a month left until Windows 10 19H2 is supposed to be completed, the service pack thing seems to make a lot of sense now.
So given that Windows 10 19H2 doesn’t bring too many changes in terms of features for the Average Joe, is there any reason to be excited about this release?
Actually, there is.
And while the reason might not be obvious at first, especially for beginners, it concerns the way Windows 10 will be improved moving forward.
With Windows 10 19H2, Microsoft begins testing a new servicing system that’s based on an approach the company previously used with cumulative updates.
This means Windows 10 19H2 will land as a cumulative update on Windows 10, so it’ll include all the improvements that were previously released for existing users on the monthly patching cycles. Microsoft explains the following:
“To deliver these updates in a less disruptive fashion, we will deliver this feature update in a new way, using servicing technology (like the monthly update process) for customers running the May 2019 Update who choose to update to the new release. In other words, anyone running the May 2019 Update and updating to the new release will have a far faster update experience because the update will install like a monthly update.”
You can read more about how Windows 10 19H2 will be released to users in my detailed analysis of this servicing model here.
Without a doubt, if new features are what you’re looking for in a Windows 10 update, then the 20H1 will have plenty to impress you, as Microsoft is already working on a series of breaking improvements for this release. Furthermore, it’s believed that Windows 10 20H1 could come with a new browser, as the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge could replace the existing Edge as the default offering in the OS beginning with this release.
But going back to Windows 10 19H2, this update is thus supposed to fine-tune the experience with Windows 10 in a less obvious but equally important way versus new features. The under-the-hood work plays a critical role for the future of the OS, and the 19H2 update represents a major step in a long-term plan.
“The next feature update for Windows 10 (known in the Windows Insider Program as 19H2) will be a scoped set of features for select performance improvements, enterprise features and quality enhancements,” Microsoft explains, clearly suggesting that the focus isn’t necessarily supposed to bring exciting new features, but improvements that would help the platform altogether moving forward.
Windows 10 19H2 is projected to be finalized in September and then released to users beginning with October – these dates could change depending on how the development process advances.
Given Microsoft’s refined focus on under-the-hood improvements for this release, do you consider Windows 10 19H2 a feature update that you must install on day one or should everyone wait a little bit longer to see how everything goes?
Let us know what you think in the box after the jump.