Microsoft's Windows 10 Anniversary edition may launch July 29
If so, that's the same date Microsoft's free Windows 10 update expires. It also marks the one-year anniversary of the software's release.
The Windows 10 Anniversary edition will roll out July 29, according to a Microsoft document.
The July 29 date appears in slides for Microsoft's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2016, blog site NokiaPowerUser said Monday. One slide points to July as the Windows 10 release-to-manufacturing (RTM) time frame. A second slide sets the start of the key 90-day RTM phase as July 29.
RTM is the moment when a software maker sends out a finished version of a program to device makers to install on the machines they sell.
Following the trials and tribulations of Windows 8, Microsoft has been working hard to convince people to jump to Windows 10. The Anniversary edition will be a milestone attempt to lure more users to the operating system software, which has landed on 300 million active devices, including PCs, phones and the Xbox One game console.
Assuming the information on the slides remains on track, the July 29 date makes sense: That's the one-year anniversary of the official debut of Windows 10. The Windows 10 Anniversary edition is the first major upgrade to the software, adding improvements to the Cortana voice assistant and the Hello login feature as well as tweaking the Start menu to display the All Apps category.
The July 29 date also places a deadline on Microsoft and its users. Windows 10 has been free to owners of Windows 7 and 8.1, but that deal is due to end July 29. After that date, you'll have to pony up $119 for the Home version of Windows 10 and $199 for Pro. Microsoft has been pushing people to upgrade via its "Get Windows 10" notifications before that last Friday in July.
Responding to CNET's request for comment, a Microsoft spokeswoman said: "The Windows 10 Anniversary Update will become available this summer."
Update, May 18 at 4:35 a.m. PT: Adds comment from Microsoft.