While it’s obvious that Microsoft is hedging all of its bets on Windows 10, you may be surprised to hear that Windows 10 may very well be the last version of Windows. Instead of releasing a new version every four years, Microsoft will apparently go the way of OS X and release massive updates every year or so that completely revamp the experience while keeping it familiar and accessible.
It’s no secret that Microsoft is going all out with Windows 10 — the very fact that it’s expected to be offered up for free for the first year demonstrates just how focused the company is on getting the new version of the operating system installed on as many devices as possible. Now, we might know a little bit more about the reasoning behind this strategy. Speaking at the Ignite conference this week, Microsoft Developer Evangelist Jerry Nixon made the claim that Windows 10 will be ‘the last version of Windows’, according to a report from Softpedia. It seems that the schedule we see Windows iterated upon is set to change rather drastically. Rather than new versions every few years, it’s thought that Microsoft will deliver sizeable updates on a more regular basis. It doesn’t sound too far removed from the strategy and schedule that the company employs with its Xbox gaming consoles. It’s perhaps even closer to the tack that Apple adopted from OS X onwards. The tenth version of that operating system provided a foundation that would then be built upon incrementally — although those launched at a slower pace than it’s assumed Microsoft’s efforts will be.