Microsoft has announced that its first major Windows 10 update, dubbed RS1, will land in June to open the Redstone cycle of improving the operating system.
Volunteers from the Windows Insiders program already sampled the update, but the company says that more features and content will be packed in the final release this summer.
Reporters at WinBeta point out that RS1 is crafted to mainly ensure "the convergence of different Windows 10 devices such as PC, Xbox, and Phone."
Microsoft wants to have Windows Store available on Xbox One, as one result of the convergence. An advantage of this closeness would be that users could install Universal apps on their home game console. Another, not less important, is that the expansion of cross-platform gaming would boost inter-playability between players who purchased the title on PC and Xbox.
RS1 is famed to bring an entire myriad of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that can work across different device categories. As a reminder, apps coded via Project Centennial (a tool that helps developers port Win32 apps to UWP) and Project IslandWood (iOS to UWP porting) will be part of the Windows Store for the first time.
We should also see increased cross-device functionality after the RS1 goes live. For example, a rumor surfaced about a nifty notification from Cortana that displays a warning message on your PC when your handset is low on power.
Another option that will be embedded into the latest update of Windows OS will allow users to take phone calls or start texting right on their computer, resembling the iOS-OS X integration.
Insiders familiar with the matter noted that Microsoft Edge will expand its functionality by means of receiving extension support. Windows Insider testers will also expect to see the improved Internet browsing experience sometime in the near future.
If we look at the branding for RS1, it is possible that Microsoft will stick to the current naming scheme. This translates into the update getting its version number as a code form of the month and year when the release takes place. Should this prove to be the case, the RS1 should be called "Windows 10 Version 1606." Previously, the Windows 10 Threshold 2 update followed the same pattern and got the name "Windows 10 Version 1511".
In comparison with Threshold 2, the Redstone update will be significantly more consistent. Not only will it resolve issues and bugs, but improvements to the Windows 10's interface are in tow, as well. People familiar with the internal workings of Microsoft affirm that Redstone will improve Windows 10 in the same way that Windows 8.1 expanded the Windows 8 experience.
Both the Start Menu and Settings app are supposed to be revamped, alongside several improvements that will target the Action/Notification Center. Experts estimated that the Control Panel will be simplified even more, meaning that Control Panel elements will appear in the updated Settings app instead.
The Redstone update contains a second part, named RS 2. It was previously believed that the update will arrive at the end of 2016, but recent information indicates that 2017 is a more realistic projection. This could mean that a part of RS1's features and improvements will be delayed, and we will keep you posted as soon as we know anything certain.
