Microsoft will only release annual updates for Windows 10
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Key notes
- Microsoft just made a major change in its Windows Update configuration.
- The company said it will release just one annual update for Windows 10.
- By halving the number of updates, Microsoft joins the industry standard.
- This is a more efficient way of keeping your system software up to date.
Microsoft just made a subtle yet significant shift in its Windows configuration that’s meant to minimize the frustration that customers sometimes experience with updates.
The company said it will release just one annual update for Windows 10 instead of forcing consumers to update twice a year as has been the practice until now.
Windows 11 is also on an annual schedule as well, which means both operating systems will receive new software around the same time.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 will only receive annual updates
Microsoft is releasing the Windows 10 November 2021 update, and the next major update after that will be available later in 2022.
This update cadence matches the same used by Windows 11, which will also introduce new features on an annual basis.
We could see two or maybe three feature updates to Windows 10 until its end of support date in 2025, but they’re not likely to be significant ones anymore.
For example, Microsoft has already started rolling out the new Microsoft Store to Windows 10 devices earlier this month.
The November update we mentioned above is a minor one, with the only standout feature for users being GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
By halving the number of updates, the Redmond-based tech company is falling in line with what’s become the industry standard.
Their main competitor, Apple, issues a new version of macOS once a year, and its Apple’s iOS received just one annual update, as does Google’s Android operating system.
And since we also mentioned Windows 11, know that Microsoft is also accelerating its rollout of Windows 11 today.
Based on the positive rollout update experience and user feedback we have seen to date, we are advancing the pace of the rollout faster than we previously anticipated, and now making the Windows 11 upgrade more broadly available to eligible Windows 10 devices.
We are sure that this is good news for all of us, as constantly updating your system could sometimes become tedious.
How do you feel about these changes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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