With Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft also introduced a servicing model for the operating system and announced plans to deliver feature updates two or three times a year.
This eventually evolved into two feature updates per year. Microsoft tried to soften the impact of two big Windows 10 updates by reserving the second for quality improvements. The second so-called Windows 10 feature update only improved the features added in the first update.
With Windows 11, Microsoft announced another significant change in service cadence. This time, the tech giant said it would stick to “one major update per year” and continue to ship innovations through monthly cumulative updates, as we’ve seen in the form Moment 1 and Moment 2 updates.
Some theories suggest that Microsoft won’t release the second Windows 11 feature update (version 23H2) in the fall of 2023. That’s not true, because version 23H2 is still a thing, and we’ve already discussed that. in our previous reports. This has now been confirmed by the tech giant in a blog post published on February 28, 2023.
Microsoft noted that Windows 11 will continue to receive feature updates and the second update will be released in the second half of the schedule.
“Feature update releases are tied to a support lifecycle: 24 months of support for Home and Pro editions and 36 months for Enterprise and Education editions,” Microsoft noted.
Windows 11 23H2 is based on 22H2, sources say
However, we must understand that Windows 11 23H2, which is coming in the fall, is not a new version of the operating system like the 22H2 version. Instead, Windows 11 23H2 is based on the Windows 11 22H2 platform, and it won’t significantly change the operating system, but you can expect several quality improvements.
Windows 11 22H2 is based on a platform update named “Nickel”. On the other hand, the original Windows 11 version 23H2, which was canceled in favor of Windows 12, was going to be based on the Zinc platform.
With the removal of Zinc, Microsoft is moving to Germanium for next-gen Windows and plans to use the existing Nickel (22H2) platform for Windows 11 23H2. In other words, the 23H2 version would be more about under the hood improvements than revolutionary changes.
You can expect a few nifty bits, including a redesigned File Explorer recently teased by Microsoft.
Microsoft may consider using the Windows 10-like activation package (a service pack-like update) that will automatically turn 22H2 into 23H2 by activating inactive features.
Microsoft will add 23H2 items to 22H2, which can be enabled using this enable switch when the rollout begins later this year. This also means that Windows 11 22H2 and version 23H2 will receive the same cumulative updates.
