Microsoft has often used a 3-year cycle for their major OS releases (95, 98, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10), with the exceptions being:
With Windows 10’s release in 2005, Microsoft moved to releasing feature updates roughly twice a year. Now we’re nearly 3 years after the launch of Windows 10, and the latest feature update is to be released shortly in the form of the “Spring Creators Update” (a.k.a. 1803).
Under the old 3-year scheme, we would now be receiving the next major version of Windows. So, to me, this is a good point for us to re-examine whether we have cumulatively received such an OS (call it Windows Next if you will) via the incremental feature updates, or if we have not.
Now, I’m speaking from the perspective of a consumer, not someone in the enterprise/education space, so I can only focus on consumer-oriented features.
So, here’s a list of what has changed in Windows 10 from versions 1511 to 1803 (I’ve intentionally excluded the original release of 1507 since that is Windows 10, and it is the other versions that represent changes on top of Windows 10).
1511 (November Update) brought:
1607 (Anniversary Update) brought:
1703 (Creators Update) brought:
1709 (Fall Creators Update) brought:
1803 (Spring Creators Update) brings:
So, the question for discussion is – do these features listed above equate to a major upgrade over Windows 10 in its original form from July 2015? i.e. as they as big as the shift from Windows Vista to 7, or that from Windows 95 to 98?
To me, they don’t. I categorize the above features as:
What are your thoughts?
Links I referred to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10#Feature_updates
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2015/11/13/whats-new-for-you-in-windows-10/
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/08/04/edge-anniversary-update/
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/04/11/whats-new-in-the-windows-10-creators-update/
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/10/17/whats-new-windows-10-fall-creators-update/
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#258793"><em>In reply to Angusmatheson:</em></a></blockquote><p>Live Tiles seem to be an idea that Microsoft can't let go of even though every product (except Windows) that has used it has failed. </p>