Microsoft is reportedly changing its development cycle of Windows 10 again from March and September to June and December. According to a new report from Windows Central, the software giant is shifting its development cycle to align the releases of Windows 10 with the Azure releases, and as a result, the 20H1 update could be finalized as soon as December 2019.
However, this doesn’t mean that devices will be getting new feature updates every December and June. The schedule only reflects when Microsoft considers a new update complete, and then it shifts to testing and fixing bugs before shipping the final release to every device.
Once a new version of Windows 10 is complete, it usually takes a couple months before it starts rolling out to compatible devices.
Although the new schedule will continue to offer two feature updates every year, and users won’t see any difference, now that the schedule is changing, it’s possible that Microsoft could change the version number scheme from 03 (March) and 09 (September) to 06 (June) and 12 (December). As a result, we could be seeing the 20H1 update using the 1912 version number and the 20H2 update using the 2006 version number.
If the new schedule change ends up to be true, then it means that Microsoft is pretty much done adding feature to the Windows 10 20H1, and users can expect the update to be finalized in mid-December. According to the report, the company already marked the update as feature-complete internally in August.
Furthermore, with the 20H1 (Vibranium) development complete, Microsoft has already started working on the 20H2 (Manganese) update, and participants of the Windows Insider Program will start receiving builds for the next version shortly.
Knowing that the 20H2 development will be complete in June also indicates that Windows 10X will be ready on time as well. Windows 10X is the operating system that is going to power dual-screen and foldable devices, including for laptops.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].