14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 April 2018 Update is now available as a manual download, and Microsoft is getting ready to begin the automatic rollout next week.
While at this point the new OS version is available via Windows Update only for users who perform a manual check, starting May 8, Windows 10 version 1803 will be pushed automatically to systems that are considered to be fully compatible.
The release will take place in stages, which means that more machines will receive the OS feature update via Windows Update as Microsoft manages to address software and hardware compatibility issues.
The rollout typically takes three months to complete, and this means that by the summer, pretty much all systems that can be upgraded to Windows 10 April 2018 Update should be able to download it from Windows Update.
Enter Windows 10 Redstone 5
With Windows 10 version 1803 officially finalized, many are wondering what’s next for the operating system, especially given Microsoft’s Windows as a Service approach.
But it’s this approach the one that guarantees new versions are released on a regular basis, and according to Microsoft’s schedule, it means a new update is expected in the fall.
Codenamed Redstone 5, the next big update for Windows 10 is due to be finalized in September and shipped to the first systems in the production ring in October.
Work on Redstone 5 has already started, and the first builds were shipped to Windows insiders in the Skip Ahead ring a few weeks ago. But at the same time, Microsoft is also preparing to release early builds of Redstone 5 to the Fast and Slow rings in the coming days, and this is why the company is recommending insiders who don’t want to try out these first updates to switch to the Release Preview ring.
Windows 10 Redstone 5 highlights
While it’s too early to discuss the features that will be part of the Redstone 5 update, it’s not hard to guess that Fluent Design will be one of the highlights.
Fluent Design is Microsoft’s new design makeover for Windows 10, and it has gradually evolved in the last two OS updates. The April 2018 Update, for instance, brings Fluent Design touches in many more parts of the operating system, including in the Start menu, the Action Center, and Microsoft Edge, and Redstone 5 is expected to represent another step towards a bigger overhaul.
As for the features, we already know that the Cloud Clipboard and Sets will be part of the Redstone 5 update.
Cloud Clipboard was announced by Microsoft at the Build developer conference last year and is supposed to allow users to have one synced clipboard across their devices. The feature will support text, files, and other items, all stored in the cloud and neatly integrated into Windows and mobile apps.
Sets, on the other hand, is already available in Windows 10 Redstone 5 preview builds and brings tabs all across the operating system. With this feature, every app can support tabs, making it possible for users to work with just one window running on the screen, despite launching different apps.
Sets also support Win32 software, and Microsoft has added support for the Office productivity suite, and by the time the Redstone 5 update gets the green light, more improvements in this regard are expected.
Without a doubt, there’ll be more to discover in Redstone 5, and preview builds will gradually introduce new features as development advances. The first builds, however, won’t bring too many changes, as work on Redstone 5 is still in the early days, but more breaking updates are expected in the coming weeks and months.