Why Windows 10 Creators Update will be Adopted Faster than Anniversary Update

Windows 10 Creators Update 1

As Windows 10 Creators Update gets ready for its release to manufacturing (RTM), many well-informed sources are now speculating that the most recent Insider Preview – Build 15063 – could be the pre-RTM release that everyone’s been waiting for.

Per a screenshot shared by Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden on Twitter, an option is available on the latest build to switch to the Release Preview.

 

On the other hand, there seems to be a possibility of a Build 15065, an internal build. Either way, it looks like Windows 10 Creators Update is ready to ship to OEMs very soon. An April 11 date for general availability has been cited by several sources, which coincides with the official stoppage of all support for Windows Vista.

That said, it remains to be seen what velocity Creators Update can achieve on the adoption front when compared to the current version – Windows 10 Anniversary Update, or v1607.

As you might know, the version nomenclature is based on the year and month of public release. 1607 represents July (28) 2016, when AU went into Release Preview. The final Insider preview build for 1607 came on July 18 to the Fast Ring, two days later to the Slow Ring and then 8 days later as the RP.

If those timelines hold good for the current version of Windows 10, which is 1703, then Build 15063 may well indicate an RP for Creators Update. If you sign up to the Insider Program now, you can get the Creators Update RP ahead of most users, and then update to the public release when it comes next month.

And that brings us back to the question: how fast will adoption be?

A report by AdDuplex released a couple of days ago shows that it took about four months for Windows 10 Anniversary Update to be installed on 80% of Windows PCs around the world. That’s from a smallish sample but it gives you an idea of update velocity.

Windows 10

As for Windows 10 Creators Update, we expect a much higher velocity for several reasons:

The first reason is that Creators Update is going to be on all new Windows PCs out of the box this year. And that, of course, includes Surface Studio, the Dell Canvas, Surface Pro 5 and all OEM devices from that point on. That should help boost the install base right away for Creators Update

The second reason is gamers. With Beam and the new Game Mode on Creators Update, gamers won’t be able to wait to upgrade to the new version of Windows 10. That’s the second boost factor.

A third reason is commercial adoption of Windows 10. According to earlier reports, nearly 90% of business and enterprise customers have been testing Windows 10 since last year. Enhanced enterprise-level security, a more secure Edge browser (or so they say) and other factors could push companies to take up Creators Update much faster than they did with the current version.

As such, we expect adoption of Windows 10 Creators Update to hit the ground running. We’re not likely to see it languish under the 30% level for a couple of months before suddenly jumping up. With so much media coverage around nearly every preview build, general users now know exactly what to expect from Creators Update.

Our view is that an impending release preview will quickly be following by an RTM before the end of March, which will justify the 1703 tag. And if the 8-month timeline between AU and CU holds good for the next version, we could see Redstone 3 coming through around December, or even in time for the 2017 holiday season, when Surface Phone – or a proxy Windows 10 smartphone – could make its way into the market.

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