Fresh revelations have been made about how and when Microsoft is going to push out the next major version of Windows 10, known as Redstone, which is planned to be deployed in two big updates.
According to sources who spoke to WinBeta, the first Redstone update, known as RS1, will be with us in June as expected (Microsoft always intended to get this out in the first half of 2016).
However, the not-so-great news for users and businesses awaiting new features on Windows 10 is that the second chunk of Redstone, RS2, which was originally supposed to be out before the year-end, has now been delayed to the spring of 2017.
That's a little disappointing for keen feature-hounds, although this is only a rumour. However, RS2 will apparently play host to the features and tweaks Microsoft doesn't have the time to get into RS1 – and a delay does make sense given what we've previously heard.
Namely that, back in January, it was revealed that the first major Redstone update (RS1) might not have all the features Redmond was hoping to cram in, because Microsoft had spent time working with OneCore, the underlying structure of the operating system, and focusing on reshaping the way the preview build system works internally.
Tighter integration
So what new features can we expect with RS1? According to WinBeta, it will mostly be about tying the various devices running Windows 10 – from computers, to the Xbox, to phones – more tightly together.
That will include pushing hard with the Windows Store, making it a hub for all content across Windows 10 devices, and introducing more Project Islandwood and Centennial apps.
The latter are Win32 desktop apps converted for the Windows Store and optimised for Windows 10, and earlier this week we got a hint that the full desktop Office 2016 suite is being readied for the Project Centennial treatment.
In other words, you'll be able to snag the full desktop apps for Office on the store, as opposed to the touch-focused apps which are currently available there. And they'll be a dead easy one-click download…
Another nifty feature planned for RS1 is that SMS texts and cellular calls from a Windows 10 smartphone will be brought to the desktop PC using Continuum tech, and users will be able to make phone calls via their PC.
Continuum, incidentally, now means much more than simply transforming interfaces for different screen sizes, and according to WinBeta, Continuum will be used "as a way of bringing Windows 10 devices closer together" in general.
Finally, we can also expect to see more big name games being shared across the Xbox and PC platforms.
And of course, whatever doesn't make the cut for RS1 for whatever reason, will be introduced with RS2 – just not as soon as we might have thought.
