Windows 10 first major update Threshold 2 is presently available and right now, the focus has turned to the next phase of Windows as a service model. The next major Windows 10 update is scheduled for 2016 and it has been codenamed ‘Redstone’.
The build tags designed for the latest versions of Windows 10 which are coming out of Microsoft Labs in the 11xxx series has been posted by buildfeed.net, the Windows Build tracking website. Windows 10 was announced on September 2014 by Microsoft.
Right now, a major part of the change in its system is associated with the change in how it delivers the desktop operating system functionality.
The days of predictable upgrade cycles and version numbers are now over. A significant jump in the kernel number was noticed from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, getting upgraded from 6.3 to 10.
At the same time, build numbers have increased rapidly as well. Recently, Microsoft changed to a build-slicing methodology for the process in which the build number has been incremented.
When you are checking About Dialog in the latest update for Windows 10, the new description reads OS version (1511) 10586.29.
If you look at it closely, you will understand that the number located after the decimal point notifies the amount of Windows 10 revisions that have been produced since build 10586, which was released early November. This particular method was used instead of incrementing the build number.
When you move beyond the numbers, there is not much information available regarding Redstone. However, the latest rumors indicate a much tighter integration with Cortana.
With a floating widget that can be called up, there is a possibility of making it more pervasive in the operating system. Another speculated feature of this update is the integration with Office.
In the new Microsoft Edge browser, users will be able to see a planned extensions feature. When it comes to build numbers, the desktop version will be seeing a close integration with Windows 10 Mobile for the first time. Further expectations suggest that the update mechanism will see greater improvements in Redstone Mobile.
Furthermore, the continuum technology will make it easy to convert a Windows phone into a desktop computer. The first career independent release was seen in the .29 update for Windows 10 Mobile. So far, this feature was quite elusive on Windows Phone and Android.
There is no information on when Redstone will launch officially, but this could be around late July 2016, during the first anniversary of Windows 10. The sources which are close to the company indicate that testing for Redstone might start as early as this month.
According to estimates, Windows 10 is running over 200 million systems available worldwide. The company’s news flagship Lumia devices, the 950 and 950XL were released with the mobile version.
At first, the device was reported as affordable but it isn’t the cheapest device made by the Redmondian Giant. Steve Guggenheimer of Microsoft Corporation stated during an interview that they will start high since they are kind of re-building it.
According to The Indian Express, he said that new generation smartphones will be coming first, followed by a complete scale over time. Guggenheimer further revealed they don’t have a present timeline for new range phones.
The company wishes to take one step at a time and logically, it will be followed up to a scale where devices are released in other price ranges.
Meanwhile, in terms of specifications, the new Lumia 550 will sport a 5-megapixel rear camera with a single LED flash that can record a 720p video and a 2-megapixel front facing one.