It’s now far from a secret that Microsoft is at work on a Windows 10 update known as ‘Redstone.’ It is thought to be targeting a June release, coming almost exactly a year after the initial launch of Windows 10.
Redstone development builds are already available to use in preview form via the Windows Insider program. So far, Microsoft has yet to add any ground-breaking new features though, instead working to lay the foundations for future developments to come.
As Neowin reports, Microsoft program managers recently made a series of comments that suggest the update is coming along nicely internally. Without hinting at what exactly lies in store, Microsoft’s Rick Turner, senior program manager for the Windows team, said “Finally getting to play with new #Windows10 features. You are all gonna FREAK OUT when you see this.”
Scott Hanselman, Principal Program Manager for the Azure Application and Tools group, continued the hype, claiming the additions will “change everything” and “you can’t even.” Microsoft certainly seems to think it has a crowd-pleaser on the way for unveiling in the near future.
Some of the features coming to Redstone are already well documented. The Microsoft Edge web browser will finally get support for extensions, there’ll be UI improvements aplenty and Cortana will get a few new capabilities. It’s unclear whether Turner and Hanselman were referencing these or something else entirely though, suggesting there could be more hidden from the public eye.
Despite its enthusiasm, Microsoft’s terminology may work both ways for the company. In the past, people have “freaked out” over a number of privacy scares and user pressuring issues since Windows 10’s launch.
Microsoft has come under fire for its user data policies and aggressive efforts to get Windows 10 onto older computers, turning people against the idea in the process. With Cortana set to be a key talking point for Redstone, these concerns could rise again as Microsoft monitors user data to improve speech recognition.
Microsoft is expected to detail Redstone’s major new features at its //BUILD developers conference later this month. After that event, it is likely that Windows Insiders will get their first look at a feature-complete Redstone build, letting them judge for themselves whether it really does “change everything.”
