Win10 anniversary update on Aug 2

Topic

New Reply

Microsoft posts, then pulls, blog stating “Microsoft announces Windows 10 anniversary update available Aug. 2” John Callaham, Windows Central  
[See the full post at: Win10 anniversary update on Aug 2]

Reply | Quote

Replies

It would probably make more sense for them to release it the following Tuesday August 9th, as it’s “Patch Tuesday.”

Reply | Quote

I disagree, probably better to spread the incredibly large number of Borked machines out over a few weeks rather than have every Windows box in the world choke and die all at once…

I think we should have a WinXit referendum!

Reply | Quote

Woody:

Let’s have a little conspiracy theory fun with this apparent “mistake”… which strikes me more as manipulation than an outright error.

Let me explain:

First, Malwaresoft announces a new, supposedly-improved version of Windows 10 called the anniversary edition, knowing full well that most people will jump to the conclusion that it will be released on the anniversary of the first “RTM” release, i.e. July 29th.

All of the major Windows-centric bloggers and websites have been expecting that this release is the catalyst that will finally push millions more Windows 7 & 8.1 users to switch to Windows 10, to take advantage of its presumed stability and feature goodness.

Seems reasonable so far, right?

Suddenly, with just a month to go before the end of the free Windows 10 update offer (sorry, I still can’t call it an “upgrade”), the target date for the anniversary edition release turns out to be AFTER the end of the free offer (August 2), and not on the anniversary of the first major public release at all.

So much for the meaning of “anniversary” and the expectations of the tech blogsphere.

To the average computer user, that likely suggests that the only way to get the anniversary edition for free is to install the current version on or before July 29th, and then update to the anniversary edition at a later date.

From the company’s standpoint, this could mean a huge number of new Windows 10 users by July 29th, even if they’re only installing it so they can get to try out a perceived better version soon after.

Suddenly, numbers are up, everybody loves Windows 10 again and Malwaresoft is potentially a lot closer to the one billion device installations they crave so desperately.

This begs at least the following questions:

1. If someone finally switches to Windows 10 by July 29th, do they still have 30 days to roll their computers back to their previous Windows version?

2. If someone switches to Windows 10 by July 29th and then installs the anniversary update within 30 days, can they still revert to their previous Windows version (7 or 8.1) or are they locked into Windows 10 forever?

3. If someone switches to Windows 10 by July 29th and then immediately rolls back their computer to Windows 7 or 8.1, can they use their supposedly permanent digital entitlement (as per Ed Bott) to switch directly to the anniversary edition at a later date?

I’m sure there are other permutations of this whole process that I may have missed, and I have no doubt your loyal readers will find them very quickly.

Have at it, folks.

Reply | Quote

I had decided not to take the “free” “upgrade” to Windows 10 with the one caveat that I would judge the actuality of the anniversary release before making my final decision.

Now they’re putting the release date after the drop dead date for the free upgrade, so I can only judge based on what I’ve seen in the pre-releases in my test system.

On THAT experience I’m certainly not going to “upgrade”, however free it is.

What does that timing say about what they think people’s impressions will be of the anniversary update?

I’m glad I have a powerful workstation continuing to run Win 8.1 quite reliably and productively. That’s the way it’s going to stay until Win 10 actually has clear value.

Should it, in the coming years, actually be given real value I’ll have no trouble paying for it. It has always been thus.

For now, I’m not going to be wasting any time and destabilizing my perfectly good setup “locking in” a free upgrade to something I don’t respect.

-Noel

Reply | Quote

Mike, I agree fully that they’re carefully thinking this through.

I believe they’re weighing the relative stability and quiet of build 10586.318 against the likelihood that their new in-place install will bring absolute mayhem to the Windows world.

Scenario 1: The release occurs just prior to the “free upgrade” drop dead date. All kinds of stuff goes wrong all over the world, and everyone reports how bad it is. What’s that going to do to any last minute upgrades people might choose to do?

Scenario 2: The release occurs just after the free upgrade, and people base their decision on there not having been too many bad things reported lately.

Scenario 3: The release occurs just before the drop dead date, people read about all the new, valuable features working perfectly, and go wow – I really do need this. Major jump in adoption. YEAH RIGHT.

Microsoft are adept at managing their own mediocrity and turning it into something more positive. This timing says volumes to me about the mediocrity of the product.

-Noel

Reply | Quote

I’m afraid abstaining would prevail.
When you think that some (many, most?) users worldwide hardly heard about Windows 10 and woke up one morning with a new OS, running correctly or not, that one user even sued successfully the developer …

Reply | Quote

@ Noel C.

“Microsoft are adept at managing their own mediocrity and turning it into something more positive. This timing says volumes to me about the mediocrity of the product.”

You are far too generous awarding M$FT a rating of mediocre.

JF

Reply | Quote