No, you read that right. This is not a typo. In a surprising turn of event, Microsoft has released what is the first Windows 10 20H1 build to the Skip Ahead branch of the preview program.
With development winding down on version 19H1, and a final, RTM build expected next month, the software titan has shifted attention to the future of the operating system. A far future, as you can see from the codename of this latest release.
We are, basically, skipping ahead by two versions.
This Insider Preview from the 20H1 development branch is here as build 18836, and doesn’t contain any new features. Only a bunch of improvements are packed into this early release, along with a few known issues, the details of which you can gather from the link above.
Dona Sarkar, the head of the Windows Insider Program:
“Some things we are working on in 20H1 require a longer lead time. We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring after we get 19H1 nearly finished and ready; once 19H1 is “nearly finished and ready” we’ll also use the Release Preview ring for previews of drivers and quality updates on 19H1.”
That means, good stuff is coming, hopefully?
The company has not provided any specifics on what features that it wants to test so early in the development process. The release of this version is slated more than a year from now, but Microsoft definitely wants in early on the feedback from testers this time around.
Of course, goes without saying that you need to be on the Skip Ahead channel of the Windows Insider Program to receive these bits.
Fast ring is where you will be able to find 19H2 builds, the version of Windows 10 that is coming towards the end of this year.
Marvelous.
