Microsoft reportedly changing the Windows dev schedule

Oct 29, 2019 06:41 GMT  ·  By
The next Windows 10 feature updates will be finalized earlier than anticipated
   The next Windows 10 feature updates will be finalized earlier than anticipated

Microsoft is reportedly making new changes to the Windows 10 development schedule in an attempt to align it with Azure, so the next feature update for the operating system is supposed to reach RTM as soon as December.

Windows 10 20H1, which is currently available in preview for Windows insiders in the Fast ring, is expected to be finalized in just two months. Originally, the RTM date for the spring update was the month of March.

WindowsCentral writes that Microsoft internally declared Windows 10 20H1 feature-complete back in August, and this is the reason the majority of builds that the company shipped to Windows insiders focused mostly on bug fixes and other improvements under the hood.

In other words, Microsoft isn’t working on any new features for Windows 10 20H1 at this point, so what you get right now in the latest builds is pretty much the final feature lineup of the update when it’ll finally roll out to production devices.

Microsoft will sign-off Windows 10 20H1 in mid-December, according to the same source, but for the time being, it’s not yet known when the public rollout would start. Previously, Microsoft published spring feature updates in April or May.

Windows 10 Manganese

While Windows 10 20H1 is nearly done, Microsoft has already started the work internally on the next feature update due in the fall of 2020. Codenamed Windows 10 20H1 or “Manganese,” this update should land in preview builds for Windows insiders anytime soon, with RTM expected in June. This could also be the timing when Windows 10X might be finalized, as this new platform is projected to power the first wave of dual-screen devices coming in the fall of 2020.

Microsoft obviously hasn’t announced these changes, but for the time being, it just looks like the new calendar makes more sense for the company going forward.

Not only that this schedule aligns with the development cycle of Azure, but it also gives the company more time to further polish each feature update. Presumably, new feature updates will spend more time in the Release Preview ring before getting the go-ahead in an attempt to iron out the latest bugs in anticipation of the public launch.