Windows 10 Anniversary Update set to launch August 2
Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the no-brainer update for most Windows 10 adoptees, now has a ship date: Aug. 2.
Microsoft announced the delivery schedule on Wednesday in a blog post by Microsoft Corp. VP for the Windows and Devices Group Yusuf Mehdi.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update is, compared to the original Windows 10 launch, a relatively minor set of feature enhancements. That said, there is some significant interface house cleaning, like a reorganizing of the Start Menu and Apps list and Action and Notifications Center shift to a more logical position on the right side of the screen.
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There are also important updates to the Cortana digital assistant (it can be listening all the time), the Edge browser (extensions, please!) and Windows Ink, which gains a permanent spot on the desktop and adds deeper system integration and a host of impressive features (have you tried the virtual ruler?).
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The August launch follows a relatively brief open beta period, which kicked off soon after Microsoft announced the Windows 10 Anniversary Update at its annual Build Developer's Conference in March. I tested one of the early builds and was impressed with the new features and its stability.
In the meantime, Windows 10 proper has, thanks in part to an almost year-long free upgrade program that ends on July 29 (and maybe some overly aggressive upgrade tactics), zoomed to now 350 million installs. Impressive, though it's still hard to imagine how Windows 10 will hit Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's one billion install target by 2018.
"With over 350 million devices now running Windows 10, customer satisfaction is higher than any previous version of Windows and customer engagement is also incredible with more than 135 billion hours of use on Windows 10 since launch," Mehdi wrote.
Microsoft is also, apparently, in a celebratory mood, announcing a number of school-themed deals (as well as Windows 10 Anniversary Update-education-focused features like "Set up School PCs" for deployment and the new ‘Take a Test’ app). From Wednesday through Aug. 14, its offering $300 off, for students only, on an Xbox One and Surface computer bundle.
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update will be free to all current Windows 10 users.
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