Microsoft Monday: Disc-Free Xbox One Rumor, Windows 10 October 2018 Update Re-Release, Black Friday

[The AchieVer]

“Microsoft Monday” is a weekly column that focuses on all things Microsoft. This week “Microsoft Monday” features news about Windows 10 quality initiatives, the re-release of the Windows October 2018 Update, a rumor about a disc-free Xbox One, Xbox Black Friday deals, the Cortana redesign for iOS, LinkedIn Pages, LinkedIn Sales Navigator improvements, the XOXCO and FSLogix acquisitions and much more!

Focus On Windows 10 Quality Initiatives

Microsoft hit several speed bumps after rolling out several Windows 10 updates this year. For example, Microsoft had to delay the Windows 10 April 2018 update because of issues where the system would crash on PCs. Last month, Microsoft had to pull the Windows 10 October 2018 Update because it was causing files to be deleted. And last week, Microsoft accidentally downgraded users from Windows 10 Pro machines to Windows 10 Home.

Going forward, Microsoft is going to listen to feedback from Windows 10 users and the company is going to be more transparent about how Windows is going to be tested. Plus Microsoft is going to publish more blog posts in a series of in-depth explanations of the work that Microsoft does to deliver Windows releases.

“Even a multi-element detection process will miss issues in an ecosystem as large, diverse and complex as Windows. While we will always work diligently to eliminate issues before rollout, there is always a chance an issue may occur. When this happens, we strive to minimize the impact and respond quickly and transparently to inform and protect our customers,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Windows Michael Fortin in a blog post. “Our focus until now has been almost exclusively on detecting and fixing issues quickly, and we will increase our focus on transparency and communication. We believe in transparency as a principle and we will continue to invest in clear and regular communications with our customers when there are issues. Of course, we have a responsibility to protect customers, and in some cases (e.g. zero-day exploits) we prioritize that protection over transparency until security updates are released and we can again be clear about an issue.”

Re-Release Of Windows October 2018 Update

Microsoft also re-released the Windows 10 October 2018 Update last week. The previous version had a file deletion bug that affected the Documents directory for some users. Microsoft fixed that bug along with several others that were discovered.

One of the reasons why Windows 10 shipped with bugs is because some of the team members on quality assurance and software test were laid off earlier. As a result, Microsoft had to transform its development process in order to ship two major updates per year instead of releasing a service pack every few years. This model of software releases is why Windows 10 became known as “Windows as a Service.”

The Windows 10 re-release is being gradually rolled out. And it is starting first with users who are manually having their systems check for updates and through the media installer.

“In addition to extensive internal validation, we have taken time to closely monitor feedback and diagnostic data from our Windows Insiders and from the millions of devices on the Windows 10 October Update, and we have no further evidence of data loss,” said Microsoft’s director of program management for Windows Servicing and Delivery John Cable. “Based on this data, today we are beginning the re-release of the October Update by making it available via media and to advanced users who seek to manually check for updates.”

Improvements To Windows Store Coming

Microsoft has plans to make improvements to the Windows Store in order to convince gamers to use the platform as an alternative to Steam. At X018, Xbox head Phil Spencer acknowledged that he received feedback about the store and said the plan is to make it “tailored to the gamers that we know want to see the best,” according to Engadget.

While he did not specify what changes would be made, Spencer said he is going to take a “bigger leadership role” on the Windows Store.

Spencer: A Lot To Share At E3 2019

Spencer also tweeted that the Xbox team has a lot to share at E3 2019. This is in stark contrast to Sony, Microsoft’s biggest rival in the console space. Sony said it was not going to attend E3 2019, which is the first time the company is not attending since the gaming conference launched in 1995.

“A lot to share with fans at E3 2019. Always a high point of the year to witness the industry’s creativity and the energy of the community,” said Spencer in the tweet.

Disc-Free Xbox One Rumor

According to Thurrott’s sources, Microsoft is reportedly planning to start selling Xbox One configurations without a disc drive next year. This could bring down the cost by about $100 for the consoles.

And if you already purchased discs, there may be a “disc-to-digital” exchange program so you could visit a store and turn in the tangible games for download codes. Plus Microsoft may introduce a “revised” Xbox One S next year that would have lower costs while still having a disc reader.

 

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