14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft hasn’t provided a specific release date for the Anniversary Update, but given its name, the launch should take place in July, when Windows 10 turns 1.
And now there’s more information not only about the rollout schedule but also about the version number, all thanks to some Microsoft documents. As we’ve recently told you, information coming through unofficial channels pointed to Windows 10 build 1607 as the stable version of the Anniversary Update (also known as Redstone), and this choice kind of makes sense.
Microsoft previously called the Windows 10 November Update “1511,” where 15 was the year and 11 was the month. Judging from this approach, Windows 10 1607 is the Redstone update coming in July 2016.
NPU spotted some references to Windows 10 build 1607 in Microsoft docs, and although the company doesn’t specifically say that this is the stable version of the Anniversary Update, the chances are that it is, given the fact that these documents refer to hardware requirements.
“This topic provides information about what's new in Windows 10, version 1607 minimum hardware requirements, form factors, device experiences, and hardware components across all Windows 10 devices,” one such reference to the 1607 build reads.
Insiders will get it first
Most likely, Windows insiders will be the first to receive the final Windows 10 Redstone version, although it’s not known when this is expected to happen.
Windows 10 turns 1 on July 29, and this is also the day when Microsoft ends the free upgrade offer for the operating system. The company, however, is likely to launch the Anniversary Update a bit sooner, and this could also be another reason for those still on Windows 7 or 8.1 to upgrade.
For the moment, Microsoft is hard at work to improve the performance of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, so new preview builds are released every week to give insiders the chance to send feedback in this regard.