As Microsoft confirmed during IFA 2018, we now know that "Windows 10 October 2018 Update" is the official name of the next feature update to the operating system we'll be getting from Microsoft. You'll probably know it better by its official version number -- 1809, the upgrade from 1709 -- or by the code name it's been using during the past months in beta, Redstone 5.
As always, it will be a free download for current Windows 10 users.
It follows Microsoft's recent change to its Windows 10 update naming conventions from the more ambiguous ones like "Fall Creators Update." Especially since the forthcoming October update doesn't really have any thematic changes Microsoft can link it to. Some of the more notable changes it brings are:
- An improved screenshot experience
- Updates for Windows Mixed Reality, including support for more AR-like experiences and the ability to use a headset without a monitor
- The public availability of its eagerly anticipated Your Phone app (for cross-Windows 10/Android communications) and cloud clipboard
- Refined Windows Update which uses machine learning to try to avoid its much-loathed tendency to force updates at inconvenient times
- Better search for finding settings within the OS
- Separation of font scaling settings from the rest of the interface's scaling
- The rollout of the SwiftKey keyboard for touch, laying the groundwork for screens to replace keyboards
- Updates to Edge for managing autoplay audio, Windows Hello-based website logins, PDF handling and more
- Game Bar enhancements including improved audio recording and system performance monitoring
- A notification telling you if an application is still using an external GPU when you try to detach it
(We've covered some of these features in the past; click the links above for more info. Also, these were the 7 best new features in Windows 10's previous April update.)
While Windows was once Microsoft's core focus, under CEO Satya Nadella, the PC and tablet operating system become more of a means to an end: delivering value-added cloud-based services to corporate clients and consumers.
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