14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is now giving the finishing touches to Windows 10 May 2020 Update, or version 2004, and the go-ahead button for production devices is expected to be pressed as soon as this week.
In other words, it’s all just a matter of days now until the very first computers receive the final version of the May 2020 Update, but as usual, the whole thing will happen in waves.
This means that while the rollout kicks off this week, it could still take up to several months until everyone is provided with the final May 2020 Update build, as Microsoft uses this approach to detect issues in the early phases and prevent them from hitting more devices.
Leaving this phased rollout aside, Microsoft is already preparing for the post-Windows 10 May 2020 Update schedule, which comes down to two essential moments.
These two are the next feature updates coming to Windows 10 in the fall of 2020 and in early 2021.
Windows 10 20H2
The next feature update after the May 2020 Update will be codenamed 20H2 (second half of 2020) and will officially land as version 2009. This means it will be finalized in September and then pushed to production devices a month or two later.
Windows 10 version 2009 will be a minor update, meaning that the focus won’t be on new features, but on polishing the experience overall even more. In other words, it’ll be something similar to the November 2019 Update, which itself was described as a little more than a service pack.
With the focus to be put on under-the-hood improvements, Windows 10 version 2009 will be tested by Microsoft as part of the Slow ring of the Windows Insider program. These preview builds, however, won’t bring too many changes, pretty much because the final release itself would be rather lightweight.
Therefore, Microsoft doesn’t need so many months in advance to get this feature update ready for launch, which means the company isn’t necessarily in a rush to begin shipping preview builds to users in the Insider program.
Windows 10 21H1
The spring of 2021 feature update, which will likely be codenamed 21H1 and launch as version 2104, will be the one bringing lots of goodies, just like it’s the case with the May 2020 Update launching this week.
Windows 10 version 2104 will be a massive update, judging from Microsoft’s current approach for new OS feature updates. So after version 2009, which comes to further polish the experience with Windows 10 and everything introduced in the May 2020 Update, the 21H1 update will introduce new functionality that would be further refined by another update later the same year.
Since the focus will be more on feature updates, Microsoft obviously needs more time for testing, so the company is expected to begin shipping preview builds in the Windows Insider program as soon as June or July. This means major new features should start showing up for insiders in a month or two, as long as they are part of the Fast ring.
If the same approach as for the May 2020 Update is being used, the 21H1 feature update is supposed to be finalized by the end of year, with the first months of 2021 to be used specifically for refining the performance and resolving the latest bugs in the OS. Once this happens, Microsoft can begin the rollout to production devices, once again in stages, as this is the approach that guarantees a smoother updating experience for the majority of users out there.