Windows 10 news recap: New builds, rollout plans, and millions of reservations

Zac Bowden

Windows 10

Another week, another truck load of Windows 10 news to swallow. This week, Microsoft released not one, not two, but three new builds for fast ring insiders to test out. Build 10158, 10159 and 10162 were this weeks build releases, each introduced their own fixes and improvements, and build 10159 introduced an improved login screen.

Also this week, although not strictly Windows 10 related, the company announced that Windows RT would receive its mysterious update sometime around the release of Windows 10. We’re still not sure what the update will include, but it’s good to know the update is still coming for those who own a Windows RT-based device.

Furthermore, Microsoft unveiled that ‘millions’ of people have reserved their free upgrade to Windows 10. Though an exact figure has not been given, given the large number of Insiders (beta testers typically make up a small percentage of the whole) and the enormous install base of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, users of which are all eligible to receive the update for free, the true total could easily be in the tens of millions. This is, of course, mere speculation, but still within the realms of possibility.

The Redmond giant also announced that the Windows Insider program has reached 5 million participants. The Windows Insider program allows users to test out preview versions of Windows 10 for multiple devices including desktops, tablets, and mobile device. Microsoft wants as many insiders as possible because the goal of the program is to receive feedback from users to improve the operating system.

In what was probably the biggest Windows 10 news this week, Terry Myerson detailed the rollout plans for Windows 10 on July 29th, or more so after July 29th. Prior to the launch of Windows 10, those who have reserved a copy of the software ought to find it downloaded to their machines, meaning that everything should be ready to go at a moment’s notice, that is unless a problem occurs. To this end, Microsoft is still working with over 5 million Windows Insiders, who are constantly providing feedback on the quality, stability and readiness of Windows 10.

And that’s about it for this week. What was your favorite story? Let us know below.