The unconventional evolution of Windows 10 continues with the upcoming release of the Anniversary Update, version 1607. It's not just a service pack. Here's what's new.
Microsoft wants you to think of Windows 10 as a service, where new features arrive as they're ready, and where regular updates are themselves a feature.
That's true in a sense, but Windows 10 is still Windows, a big and sprawling tangle of code that carries an implicit promise of backward compatibility. The "as a feature" part just means more frequent upgrades, which are now called "feature updates" to distinguish themselves from the cumulative monthly "quality updates."
On July 29, Windows 10 celebrates the first anniversary of its release. Four days later, on August 2, a new upgrade -- sorry, I mean feature update -- will begin rolling out to the 350 million or so devices already running Windows 10.
The Anniversary Update is, technically, version 1607, and it is far more than a service pack. In this post and the
accompanying gallery, I offer a preview of what you can expect from this major update, based on near-final preview releases.
