Windows 10 Creators Update Ready For Testing Ahead Of April Launch

The next major update to Windows 10 will be made available to testers next week, according to reports, with a general rollout for compatible devices in April. 

Windows 10 Creators Update was first announced in October with a vague launch window of early 2017. 

Microsoft has previously indicated In private that next month would be the most likely release date for  the upgrade, which follows on from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update distributed last year, and The Verge is now reporting that this is still the case. 

Windows 10 Creators Update 

Creators Update brings 3D support for applications like Microsoft Paint and PowerPoint, as well as support for holographic computing. Microsoft has been pushing its vision of ‘mixed reality’ that combines both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in recent times. 

It is also set to include streamlined privacy controls through the addition of a web-based dashboard that gives users more control over the data shared with Microsoft. 

Microsoft regularly collects data from Windows 10 users as a means of improving the way the OS performs, but it has been an area of concern for regulators  who have accused the company of collecting too much information. 

The EU’s data protection authorities recently said they were “concerned” about the data collection practices built into Windows 10, following criticism from the likes of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and France’s CNIL. 

Microsoft plans to roll out the update to users gradually as an automatic upgrade, as it did with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update in August, but users are also to be given the option to manually download it. 

It is also expected that a third major update will be released before the end of 2017. ‘Redstone 3’ could introduce a brand new user interface for Windows 10, codenamed ‘Project Neon’. 

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