REGULAR SERVICE
Microsoft revealed at the Ignite conference, at the beginning of May, that Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows. Before you reach for your digital "the end of the world is nigh" placards, this doesn’t mean Windows is going to disappear. Instead, Microsoft is working toward delivering the OS as a service. This is something the company has talked about before, but it looks like it’s finally set to pull the trigger.
Instead of releasing an entirely new version of its desktop OS every few years, Microsoft will take an Apple-like approach, delivering regular improvements through software updates.
This could explain some of the vagueness of the release dates. Maybe we won’t have all the features we’ve been talking about on 29 July, but they will be added to the OS as time passes. Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade to all Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 users. It remains unclear, however, what sort of subscription pricing might be introduced down thehe line.
The Start menu and built-in apps are re now unbundled from the main OS, so users can get faster updates. Rather than waiting for a full Windows update, Microsoft is delivering ring smaller standalone app updates, a feature we’re seeing in the Windows Insider Preview with the Mail and Calendar apps. This has allowed smartphone manufacturers to update core apps—such as the camera, photo gallery, and mail—without waiting for mobile operators to push out an OS-wide update.
Microsoft’s next major update, codenamed Redstone, is expected to arrive in 2016, extending Windows 10 support on devices such as HoloLens.