Yes, 21H1 is a Thing! (Premium)

Thanks to a confusing strategy change in 2020 and ongoing terrible communications from the Windows Insider team, we’re all wondering what’s going on with the next two versions of Windows, Windows 10 versions 21H1 and 21H2. Or even whether there will be a 21H1 release, given the silence to date.

Well, here’s a tiny bit of good news.

Microsoft has finally publicly confirmed that it intends to release Windows 10 version 21H1 in the first half of 2021. It did so via a Tech Community blog post, spotted by Neowin, and that post confirms another important detail that we’ve long anticipated: Windows 10 version 21H1 will be yet another minor release, similar to Windows 10 versions 2004 (20H1) and 20H2.

“The Windows 10, version 21H1 release will not bring updates to the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program and will follow the same guidelines as 20H2,” the post reveals. Finally.

So there are no Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) requirements and no changes to drivers. For all intents and purposes, Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, and 21H2 are identical from an OS version perspective.

This means that these versions are likewise identical from a servicing perspective---a fact not mentioned by this post----though we can assume that Microsoft will of course continue to ship identical updates for each, as it’s done for Windows 10 versions 2004 and 20H2.

Of course, we still have questions. And key among them is the other two Windows 10 releases that Microsoft plans to ship in 2021.

The more obvious is Windows 10 version 21H2. As its name suggests, this release is due in the second half of the year and is expected to a major upgrade---a so-called feature update---and not just a cumulative update like versions 2004, 20H2, and 21H1. That said, the only major feature we’re currently aware of is a sweeping UX update, codenamed Sun Valley, that will bring rounded window and menu corners everywhere.

The second and less obvious is Windows 10X, which is a Win32-less offshoot of mainstream Windows 10 aimed at mobile devices. It’s not clear yet when in 2021 that Windows 10X will ship, or which version of Windows 10 it will initially be based on. But it, too, brings a major UX change compared to today’s Windows 10, with rounded window and menu corners everywhere, and Chrome OS-like elements like a floating and centered Start experience and a new Action Center. Over time, 10X is expected to evolve to support Win32 (desktop) Windows apps, but that won’t happen until next year at the earliest.

Unfortunately, when we look at the state of Windows development today, there are further questions.

For example, different Windows Insider channels used to target specific Windows 10 versions, with the Beta channel targeting the next version, sometimes called vNext, and the Dev channel targeting the version after that. However, Microsoft silently shifted its strategy last year and hasn’t provided any information at a...