The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Feature Focus
by Brett Howse on November 10, 2017 8:00 AM EST
Windows 10 has finally settled into a groove. We are just over two years from the initial release of Windows 10. Part of the promise of Windows 10 was Windows as a service, or in other words, continual updates to Windows rather than monolithic version releases every couple of years. However, the haphazard schedule of feature updates was not pleasing to one stable customer of Microsoft’s. Businesses don’t love surprises, and they need time to plan ahead, and test, in order to deliver the vision that Microsoft has envisioned for Windows 10 going forward, so 2017 is the first year we get to see the new spring and fall updates, first with the Creators Update on April 11, 2017, and now the Fall Creators Update which became widely available on October 17, 2017.
The biannual release schedule still might be too aggressive for a lot of enterprises, but it’s a balancing act for Microsoft to keep the features coming for consumers, security updates coming for enterprise, and of course, keeping Windows 10 fresh in the eyes of everyone. Hopefully this new schedule works out though, since it’s nice to see fewer, smaller updates, rather than annual massive updates which may cause even more challenges.
| Windows 10 Version History | |||||
| Version | Version Number | Release Date | |||
| Windows 10 Original Release | 1507 | July 29, 2015 | |||
| November Update | 1511 | November 10, 2015 | |||
| Anniversary Update | 1607 | August 2, 2016 | |||
| Creators Update | 1703 | April 5, 2017 | |||
| Fall Creators Update | 1709 | October 17, 2017 | |||
And a smaller update is arguably what we’ve had for both of the 2017 releases for Windows, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. That’s not to take away from the many small changes and fixes under the hood, but more a fact that Windows 10 is solid, and stable, and updates only need to further smooth out some of the rough spots, and add a few new ideas for people to utilize. Windows 10 is now well known, with an official monthly active user base of over 500 million devices. It’s a solid number, despite being well under initial targets at launch.
With the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft has added quite a few new features, including some that missed out on the April update. They’ve taken the first step towards an improved OS and app design language since Windows 10 first launched, they’ve added more accessibility, more security, and finally added one of the top feature requests since Windows 10 launched. Let’s dig into the changes.
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cmdrdredd - Friday, November 10, 2017 - link
Hopefully they fix HDR too. Windows implementation of HDR-10 is broken.ZeDestructor - Friday, November 10, 2017 - link
"Find My Pen".. or you could just have a hole in your tablet/laptop to stuff the stylus into.. I mean, my now 6 year old laptop has that feature, but my dad s brand spanking new Yoga 720 does not. Why, vendors and MS... WHY!?mr_tawan - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
Some devices don't come with bundled pen (including the Surface Pro), and need separated purchases. Some people don't find pen useful and they don't buy one.Also pens nowaday are much larger than say ... Windows Mobile stylii. They just can't drill a hole in the device and let you stick the pen in it. It won't fit.
Harry_Wild - Friday, November 10, 2017 - link
I very happy about the improvements to Windows OS! These IT people are just lazy b*stards! They get pay plenty for keeping their company computer systems running and to do improvements to it!Thounee - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
Harmon... Harmon... really? Please.. it's HARMAN!!!imaheadcase - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
The game updates are simply terrible idea. First off the gamebar is known to cause problems with games. For instance lots of users got locked 30fps in a MMO i play untill they found out gamebar detected it as a console game and locked it for them.PeachNCream - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
There should be a setting for people in DirectX where you can lock everything to 30FPS if you want so your laptop's cooling system doesn't have to work as hard. I think that'd be the best way to enable a framerate cap and offer a benefit to the person at the keyboard, but it should be up to the end user to make that decision.Outlander_04 - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
Bottom line for me is I do not want "features" added by default.Security updates fine.
Crap software I will never use: no
boozed - Saturday, November 11, 2017 - link
What's a Fall Creator?mkozakewich - Sunday, November 12, 2017 - link
They're the ones who paint all the leaves red.