From now on. In an unexpected move, Microsoft has revealed that it has began A/B testing on the Windows Insider Program, meaning some Insiders will not get all Fast ring features.
This is a rather surprising development, for a preview program that has stayed constant in this respect for the most part. Save for certain features like Story Remix, which the software titan rolled out earlier this year, on request, for those that wanted in.
As Dona Sarkar, the head of the Windows Insider Program put it, the newly announced Sets feature is set (pun always intended) to be the newest one with this approach:
“We’re going to start doing controlled studies with some of new features for Windows 10 we’re working on. We’ve been doing this on a smaller scale – like trying out different Hub icons in Microsoft Edge to see which one people like more. Now we’re going to start doing these with entire features. This means that a smaller percentage of you will initially get certain new features in builds and others may not get these new features for a while, as we compare the usage and satisfaction of these features versus people who don’t. Eventually everyone will get these features—but it just could be awhile. With this approach, it also means that we will make these features broadly available when they are ready, not necessarily tied to the next major feature update of Windows 10.
In the coming weeks, one of the first features to take this new approach will be a feature we’re calling “Sets” (we may end up calling it something else by the time it ships).”
Controlled studies? Hmm, sounds fancy!
Nevertheless, point is, if you signed up for the Windows Insider Program to get early access to all the latest and greatest that Microsoft had to offer for the operating system, then the A/B testing could be disappointing news for you.
Your thoughts on this? Are you let down by this development? Comment away!
