WinBeta reports the build in question appeared on the Internet today. With a build number of 10176, this could be the first truly stable version of Windows 10 and will become one of many “Release to Manufacturing” (RTM) candidates, which are contenders for the final version given to hardware builders ahead of launch day.
The candidates will go through internal testing to ensure that they are bug-free. Each build will be voted on by employees and the RTM build with the most votes will then become the first public release of Windows 10.
WinBeta writes it has confirmed that build 10176 is indeed an RTM candidate. More interestingly, it also reports that Microsoft may sign-off the first release edition by the end of this week, just days away.
The company has only a few weeks left to prepare in though. The July 29 date for the first wave of upgrades is fast approaching and Microsoft is now busy fixing and refining.
Any features that are not finished in time will be added later on as updates, using the new “Windows as a Service” model. The RTM build is an important milestone however as it is the first version of the OS that people who are not in the Insider program will see and use.
There will be much more Windows 10 news to come as we get closer to the release date. It does appear as though Microsoft is very nearly done with the first public version of the next generation of Windows though.
Once the build is signed-off, potentially this week, the company will be able to buckle down and start preparing the first major update for Windows 10, dubbed Redstone and rumoured to arrive next year, as well as complete the development of Windows 10 Mobile.
