For the last few months, we have been calling Redstone 5 the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. That’s because the upcoming feature update for the platform was believed to be arriving in October. While that situation may not have changed, the latest preview codenaming shows Microsoft could be pushing for a September release.
Since before the launch of the April 2018 Update, Microsoft has been previewing the next major Win10 release. This is codenamed Redstone 5, but Microsoft has now given it an official version number.
So, we know Version 1809 is the next release of Windows 10, but what’s in a number? Well, in this case quite a lot. Microsoft’s Windows 10 version numbers denote the month and year of their release. So, Version 1809 will be released in 2018 on the ninth month, September.
However, there is slightly more to this story. As mentioned, I’ve been writing about Redstone 5 as the October 2018 Update. All the evidence pointed to the update landing in the tenth month of the year. While the version number suggests September, ZDNet reports that Redstone 5 will still reach general users in October.
Finalizing Updates
So, why would the build be numbered for September, but launch in October? The answer is Microsoft finalizing the version in one month and releasing it in the following month. That’s how the company prepares Windows 10 updates, and we can look to the last major release for evidence.
The April 2018 Update was launched (late because of delays) in April, but its build number is Version 1803. It was finalized in March before being rolled out in April.
Aside from playing around with Microsoft’s numbering system, this news is important because it means the October 2018 Update is coming when we expected.
