TECHnalysis Research Blog Extra

March 31, 2017
Microsoft Announces Windows 10 Creators Update Release Date

By Bob O'Donnell

The latest version of Windows 10—the Creators Update—will be officially released on April 11 according to a Microsoft announcement this week, though apparently, Windows Insiders can start to get early builds now and you’ll be able to manually download the update as of April 5. The new update is meant to be more of an incremental one, though it offers several new features and capabilities that Windows users will appreciate.

From a fun, creative perspective, Windows 10 Creators Update includes a new 3D version of Paint which allows you to easily create 3D objects that, eventually, will be usable in augmented reality-type environments. Unfortunately, some of the promised new 3D, VR and AR capabilities originally touted for this new version won’t be appearing for a while, including 3D support in Office, and the low-cost (starting at $299) VR-capable headsets due from major PC players including Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus. Those headsets are now expected in the second half of the year and I’m guessing we’ll see some additional 3D, VR and AR-focused software updates happening then as well.

For gamers, there are a number of new enhancements, including a built-in game broadcasting feature called Beam that will tap into the increasingly popular interest in live game streaming and chat functions. In addition, there’s a new Game Mode that’s designed to optimize PC game performance.

On the browser front, Microsoft is including an updated version of their Edge browser that incorporates numerous security and anti-phishing features. In addition, with a newer generation PC, Edge will support 4K streaming from content sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime (with a 4K monitor, of course).

The new version of Windows 10 also has enhancements to privacy and security settings, an improved setup process, and more parental controls. One interesting new addition to multi-device security models is the ability to tie any smartphone—Android-based, iOS-based or Windows-based—to your PC and, when you walk away from the PC, have it recognize that and automatically lock the PC. I expect to see more multi-device, multi-OS functionality coming in later versions of Windows (and, frankly, all major OS’s), but this is an important step in the right direction.

Overall, the Creators Update won’t dramatically drive new upgrades to Windows 10 from existing Windows 7 or 8 users, nor will it likely drive much cross-platform switchers. It will, however, reassure Windows 10 users that Microsoft is looking out for their interests and continuing to make updates that will keep their OS of choice fresh and new.

Bob O’Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a market research firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.