Microsoft is slated to release Anniversary Update to customers owning a genuine copy of Windows 10 on August 2. Those of us enlisted in the company’s Windows Insider program already have a good dose of what the Redstone 1 update will bring next month. However, once the update lands in the hands of consumers, what will become of Microsoft’s highly-successful program after that?
It will keep rolling on according to Dona Sarkar, Microsoft’s new Head of the Windows Insider program. She recently jumped on Twitter to confirm that Microsoft will indeed keep pushing out preview builds after Anniversary Update hits the streets. The Windows Insider program, it seems, is working “pretty well” for the Redmond company.
@Yogesh_Rya we will definitely keep pushing builds post-anniversary update. This system seems to work pretty well.
— Dona Sarkar (@donasarkar) July 5, 2016
Dona Sarkar took over the Windows Insider program at the beginning of June, replacing Gabe Aul who decided to focus all of his efforts on the Engineering Systems team. He said last month that it just wasn’t possible to give his all to the Windows Insider program despite his love for the project, so he decided to pass the torch.
The question about the Insider Program’s stance after Anniversary Update rolls out popped up on Tuesday. It’s an honest question from a consumer, but given how Microsoft wants its customers to help shape the goodness of Windows 10, the answer is rather obvious to the program’s participants. After all, Anniversary Update is just part one of the Redstone release, with Redstone 2 expected to land somewhere around Spring 2017. That means Insiders will begin to see the related features relatively soon.
Look at the Windows Insider this way: it’s a means for Microsoft to test the stability of Windows 10 and its features on a multitude of hardware configurations. While Microsoft tends to provide operating systems that are highly stable already, Windows Insider makes the company look more transparent in the public eye. Participants can decide what works and what doesn’t so that the general consumer doesn’t have to deal with a useless app that plays naughty with their desktop or laptop.
That said, we expect Microsoft will continue to rely on the Windows Insider program for the foreseeable future. Keep in mind that this program also includes mobile devices and is heavily tied to the Xbox One Preview Program. Thanks to Microsoft’s unified approach to apps and games, having an Insider Preview program seems to be required for a company addressing multiple devices with one platform.
“I want people in the Insiders program to feel like a part of our family,” she said. “I want them to feel like they have a seat at the table to help make this product better. And not just hardcore technical people.”
