Finally, your wait is coming to an end. That day is here at last. Microsoft has announced that that the Windows 10 Creators Update has started rolling out to Windows 10 customers around the world as a free update. This is the next major update, codenamed Redstone 2, in the continued enhancement of the Windows-as-a-service experience.
While the previous Anniversary update brought along significant new additions to the Windows 10 experience, the Creators Update is just an iterative update with some welcome upgrades. As the name suggests, the latter brings along features built especially keeping an artistic and creative person in mind. They’re focused on the human self – their power to dream, experiment and get creative. The same is reflected in the new apps, features, and improvements made to the operating system.
Commenting on the release, Vineet Durani, Country Head, Windows & Devices, Microsoft India, said:
Today, people value creativity more than ever, placing us on the cusp of a new wave of exploration, advancement, and impact. We are delighted to announce the general availability of the Windows 10 Creators Update today, which will roll out to more than 400 million monthly active devices around the world.
As for the new features, Microsoft has not only managed to upgrade the existing experience but also brought in some nifty additions to attract your inner Picasso or the child who loves games. Firstly, the Creators Update has simplified its update process and reduced downloaded sized by about 35 percent. This has been made possible due to the Unified Update Platform, which now sources just the changes implemented in the next update rather than the whole build.
Further, you now have the option to finally get creative with Paint — which is now called Paint 3D. The 2D bubble was getting kind of crowded, so Microsoft made the transition to 3D, seeing its scope in the coming VR/AR-laden times. This new application enables a user to create 2D objects and convert them into 3D works of art. These 3D designs can be submitted to an online creative community at Remix3D.com
With 3D, we can communicate ideas and express ourselves better, and learn faster, because it’s much more representative of the world we live in.
With the integration of Xbox Gaming right within Windows 10, Microsoft is regularly updating features to provide the best gameplay experience to its users. And the Creators Update is probably one of the most feature-heavy releases for the gaming community. They are not only being handed new game settings along with a Game Mode but also the capability of native broadcasting to Beam, a live game streaming platform acquired by Microsoft last year. Also, more than 80 of the most popular PC games are now supported with the Game Bar in full-screen. Get a low-down of the complete details right here:
The Windows 10 Creators Update also introduces some prominent feature additions to Microsoft Edge, which is now faster and more secure than ever. The Redmond giant touts that their native browser is more capable and fast than competitors — Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. It states that Edge offers a longer battery life and can last up to three hours more than its rivals, which is debatable as the same was debunked in other tests.
The new features which make the Edge browsing experience more intuitive and breezier than before are – tab preview bar (allows you to keep track of web pages by providing a visual preview), set tabs aside (helps you pin and manage tabs using two new buttons on the left of your existing tabs), more extensions (Ebates, Intel TrueKey, Read & Write, Ghostery, and RoboForm, among others are now on board), and finally you can also read e-books right within the Edge browser (it also provides control over reading experience).
Other upgrades in this much-awaited Creators Update are – new musing and quirks for its AI-powered digital voice assistant Cortana, music recognition support for Chinese, privacy and defender upgrades (which were definitely needed), night shift to adjust blue light coming from the screen and the beginnings of a mixed reality platform being baked into Windows 10.
The Creators Update enables immersive experiences that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. It enables developers to create new, exciting Windows Mixed Reality apps and experiences with the recently available Windows Mixed Reality dev kits.
And it is also important for you to know that Microsoft is now not only building the oh-so-powerful mixed reality headgear Hololens but has also partnered with third-party hardware makers, such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo to launch their own VR headsets as well. So, that’s all for this update.
Steps on how to update your Windows 10 PC:
To not stress out its servers with excessive load at the same instant, Microsoft is now known to follow the practice of phased roll-out for Windows 10 updates. It has been reiterated in the blog post:
The Creators Update for Windows Phone will follow the same phased approach, with rollout scheduled to begin in late April.
The Redmond giant is following the same process with the Creators Update and had made an Update Assistant tool available last week for those interested (read impatient!) in updating their PCs to the latest iteration. This was, however, just a single step towards making the update process completely seamless. You now have two options to install the new update:
- Wait for automatic roll out: This is the probably the most common alternative for an average Windows 10 user. Under this option, when your PC becomes eligible for the Creators Update then you’ll be prompted about reviewing your settings before the update is finally downloaded and installed. Microsoft has also changed its privacy settings to decrease the repeated intrusion due to update notifications or the automatic download of updates.
- Following along the same lines, the Redmond giant is now expanding the options provided to a user after installation. You will now have multiple alternatives such as — restart now, snooze pending updates for a few days or even change active hours to not be disturbed by the update installation process.
- Manual update procedure: This further has its own two installation options, one of which has already been made available for Windows 10 users over a week ago. Microsoft recommends that you should employ the Update Assistant, which we mention above, to breeze through the installation process. Alternatively, you also have the option to download the Media Creation Tool to perform a clean installation or re-install the update. You’ll be asked to review your privacy settings via this method as well.
Update availability may vary by manufacturer, model, country or region, mobile operator or service provider, specific installed software, hardware limitations and other factors such as feedback from customers.
- This is particularly designed for advanced Windows users, not for the average layman (however you can always try, but do keep installation instructions handy). Microsoft has tried simplifying the clean installation procedure with help from its quirky voice assistant Cortana, so maybe she can guide you through the installation as well. She is capable enough to follow your commands, crack jokes, and converse with you to complete the installation process.
While you’re still busy going through the installation process of Windows 10 Creators Update, the Insiders have moved on to the next major update. The first ‘Redstone 3’ preview build has already been delivered to those in the Fast Ring. But, no major feature updates are expected in the builds being released in the coming weeks as Microsoft is currently updating the OneCore. This major update has been confirmed to release before the end of this very year as Redmond has switched back to a bi-annual update cycle.
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