14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 April 2020 Update, also known as 20H1, is slowly but surely becoming the update to wait for, especially as the release planned for the fall of 2019 is likely to land as a little more than a service pack.
In addition to lots of improvements and new features, it looks like Windows 10 20H1 could also introduce a series of other changes, as per a report from German site WindowsArea.
Specifically, Microsoft could discontinue Windows Ink Workspace in this update, as the company would transfer the remaining features to dedicated apps.
Microsoft has been doing this for a while, and living proof is Sticky Notes, which keeps improving with every new update. While Windows Ink Workspace offered an option to quickly take a note, directing users to Sticky Notes makes more sense, especially given the effort put in this app.
Update due in spring 2019
And according to the cited source, this plan would continue and Microsoft will continue to recommend standalone apps as substitutes to features in Windows Ink Workspace with the final goal of discontinuing this tool entirely.
Needless to say, this isn’t something that will happen overnight, but more evidence should make the rounds as work on the 20H1 update advances. At this point, everyone is waiting for Microsoft to begin testing Windows 10 19H2, which according to the original release schedule, should be finalized in September.
As per Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft on the Windows Insider Program Team, Windows 10 19H2 is still alive and kicking and it should make its way to insiders at some point in the future.
“There will be plenty of time to test 19H2. We get a lot of value out of the Slow ring. You shouldn't worry - this will all play out and we'll communicate the details once we've locked on them. Important not to put artificial timelines on these things,” he said.
Windows 10 April 2020 Update is projected to be completed in March next year, but preview builds can already be downloaded as part of the Fast ring in the Windows Insider program.
UPDATE: Microsoft announces some of the changes in Windows Ink Workspace in an update posted in the release notes of the latest preview build:
"Some Insiders may notice that Windows Ink Workspace has changed on their PC. That’s because we are improving Windows Ink Workspace experience. As part of that, they will notice that Windows Ink Workspace is smaller with a direct link to our Microsoft Whiteboard app, providing you with rich ideation and collaboration capabilities. If you used Sketchpad, don’t worry. We saved the sketch you were working on (in your Pictures folder). In addition, the Windows Ink Workspace allows you to quickly capture your screen and annotate it with the improved Snip and Sketch app."