Windows 10 October 2018 Update could soon be ready for release going by latest preview

Windows 10

Microsoft has deployed a new preview version of Windows 10, and this latest build could be the release candidate of the OS, at least going by the fact that no new features are introduced whatsoever, along with some slight changes in the phrasing of the related blog post.

Build 17763 for the imminent October 2018 Update (Redstone 5) has been pushed out to the fast ring, and as mentioned there are no new introductions at all in terms of functionality, just some slight tweaks and adjustments to the operating system.

Those include bug fixes for errant display scaling and problems with some Bluetooth audio devices, plus a solution for instances of increased battery usage (on laptops) when using some apps (OneNote is cited as an example here).

The most interesting nugget in the blog post detailing the changes, though, is the following statement from the head of the Windows Insider testing program, Dona Sarkar: “The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build. This doesn’t mean we’re done…”

Change in wording

So Dona is saying that this build isn’t a finished product in that final sentence, yet it’s a slight change of wording from previous statements in the last few preview builds, which have been a firmer sounding “we are not done yet”.

Yes, this could potentially mean nothing much, but it could just indicate that this is effectively the RTM or final release build in all but name. In other words, the work on the big update is done, except for a few last-minute tweaks if any other bug feedback emerges from testers.

And that might just mean we see the October 2018 Update rollout kick-off sooner next month, rather than later.

Meanwhile, yesterday we also saw that Microsoft detailed the features which Windows 10 is losing when the imminent update arrives, which includes the Snipping Tool (although its screenshot capturing functionality is being incorporated elsewhere, users of the app will be pleased to hear).

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).