Windows 10 Build 14388 - Smells Like Production

On July 12, MS released Windows 10 build 14388 to Fast Ring Insiders for PC & Mobile.

This is the 3rd sign off build released in July as we approach the Anniversary release date of Aug 2.

The 14388 announcement mentioned 44 fixes are in this build but only called out 4 specifically for PC

• We have updated the Store to version 11606.1001.39 with bug fixes.  
• We fixed an issue where Narrator keyboard shortcuts would not work after locking your PC and then logging back in and going to your desktop.  
• We fixed an issue where Narrator would not read the date and time under Settings > Time & language > Date & time. 
• We fixed a TPM driver crash that could result in the device bug-checking (bluescreen) and rebooting. 

and only 3 for Mobile

• We have updated the Store to version 11606.1001.39 with bug fixes.  
• We fixed the issue causing the keyboard to not show up consistently for InPrivate mode on Microsoft Edge.  
• We fixed an issue that could result in an app getting into a state after being suspended where it would be unable to launch until rebooting the device. 

As always I installed 14388 on a desktop, laptop, tablet and phone.  I can't emphasize enough how great the new upgrade process is.  The entire process from checking for update to login in screen at update end is about a 20-30 minute process.   

Sure my tablet and phone were a little slower - but when I compare the process to what you used to go through for previous versions of Windows it's night and day better.

As a person who has been involved in pre-release testing of Windows Platforms for years - there is always a near release date build where the final debugging code is deactivated and you experience a noticeable increase is performance and overall smoothness.   14388 is that build.   It feels like the production release build.   I may be wrong, but with just 3 weeks until the Anniversary date - I'm not sure we'll see another fast ring release for Redstone 1.

Boot was faster and overall responsiveness was improved.  This was especially true with Mobile - even on my legacy Nokia 735.

So what's the final verdict on Windows 10 Redstone 1.

Overall, Redstone 1 is a measurable improvement over the Threshold 2 (10586) based builds and head and shoulders better then the initial Windows 10 10240 release of July 2015.

There are still some areas that MS needs to address.  

First and foremost is the browser situation.   While Edge is improving and Redstone 1 introduces Add-On Extensions and Windows Hello integration, MS still needs to provide a second browser in IE 11 to support legacy applications. In addition most folks will end up having to install Google Chrome or Firefox browsers as well.  

From a hardware support standpoint Redstone 1 is great.  Outside of BIOS updates which are very hardware specific, I did not download 1 vendor specific driver for any of my devices.  Even advanced hardware capabilities like fingerprint reading are all handled with native Windows capabilities integrated into Windows Hello.  In fact I generally recommend that you avoid OEM vendor drivers altogether and only address devices that Windows 10 does not install.

I run a mix of O365 2016 as well as 3rd party apps from ATT, Cisco, Apple, Adobe, Logitech, HP and others and I have not experienced any compatibility issues with these apps.  

Windows 10 still has some work to do with their store.  While the Store app itself is greatly improved, the selection of apps is not that great.  UWP has not yet gained enough traction yet to attract mainstream developers to bolster the portfolio.  

I still think MS is making a huge mistake, not making Office365 or regular Office available through the store.  To be honest they should also make their hardware available there as well.   

Finally MS to me also made a mistake dropping DVD/Blu-Ray disc playback and requiring customer to purchase either the mediocre MS DVD Player app for $14.99 or a 3rd party app.   Now sure the DVD and Blu-Ray are going the way of the DoDo bird, but many folks have large libraries and do not have the apps or the sophistication to rip them into H.264/H.265 format.  MS may need to consider a "media" version of Windows 10 that includes that capability or simply a DVD Playback library which adds the capability to the Movies & TV app. 

On the Mobile side, I was very impressed with how well 14388 runs on my circa 2014 Nokia 735.  As I've stated in several recent posts, in my opinion Windows 10 mobile is a definite improvement from an OS standpoint over Windows Mobile 8.1 and along with the updated Core OS you also get all of the new UWP apps.  But even core apps like Maps are still pretty horrible when compared to Google Maps.  

 

With that said, we all understand the limitations of Windows 10 Mobile.  Running the base OS with MSN Apps, and a handful of 3rd party apps it's fine.  But the reality is that Windows Mobile is effectively a dead platform at this time.  With MS currently out of the phone business and relying on HP and Acer to carry the torch until Redstone 2 in spring of 2017, I don't expect much to change.

In addition you need to be careful with the upgrade on Mobile.  First off you need to make sure you have enough room to run the upgrade and second make sure you remove apps you really don't use.  If you do a phone reset after Windows 10 updates - you will have to clean-up the mess than MS makes on legacy devices.   If you've ready any of my previous posts on this subject - you know what I am talking about.

Until more mainstream businesses & ISVs see the value in creating UWP apps that will run on both Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the platform will be limited.  

Take something as simple as Starbucks.  Starbucks has had an app on iOS and Android for 5 years now.  And while there have been short news briefs of an upcoming UWP version coming, it's still vaporware.  Maybe it will release after the anniversary date, but that shows how little these companies care about Windows Mobile. Similarly various banks, airlines, hotels, etc are actually dropping support versus adding it.   

The problem with the app challenge in my mind is that one of the key attributes of UWP is the ability for the app to run on PC, Mobile, and xBox without having unique versions for each platform.   But since these companies and ISVs originally designed their apps for Mobile and won't support Windows 10 Mobile, then that means there will not be a PC or xBox version either.  

Now you can make the argument that in many cases a corporate web site offers a richer experience than an app - so therefore apps are not as relevant on PC. But I argue that with MS promoting endpoints like Surface and 2-in-1s with touch that these apps are important.  And customers like the convenience of those kinds of apps versus launching a browser.  

Bottom line is this.  MS released the new Windows 10 14388 build.  It really feels like a production build and I think a lot of folks currently on 10586 are going to experience a nice improvement when the upgrade arrives on Aug 2.