Dive Brief:
- In wake of persistent backlash, Microsoft has decided to slow the aggressive pace of Windows 10 updates, reports ZDNet. All features updates are on hold until the company can be sure that they are performing to its standards, John Cable, director of Program Management for Windows Services and Delivery, said in an interview with ZDNet.
- The intended slowing of updates comes after Microsoft announced it will cease forcing users to upgrade. The company faced legal woes following a German-based consumer rights group saying Windows 10 upgrades were forcibly downloading gigabytes on computers without user permission.
- Microsoft's slower update approach comes just in time for the Fall Creators Update, expected to be released on October 17, according to the company. The updates include bug remedies in Surface Pro 3 devices, which didn't allow the Windows OS to load and transparent content in window frames.
Dive Insight:
As of May, Windows 10 has 500 million monthly users. Microsoft originally wanted the software installed on one billion devices by 2018 but later rolled back its adoption expectations.
Microsoft has pushed Windows 10 updates on its customers at what critics say is an overwhelming pace since its release in 2015. Although the updates had good intentions, they caused widespread customer frustration.
In June 2016, the company vowed to offer options for upgrades including scheduling capabilities. But customers said clicking the opt-out red X presented on the update window still initiated the update.
The constant stream of updates and their notifications were reportedly causing many systems to malfunction or slow. Reports of failed unauthorized updates causing computer to crash or freeze ran rampant. One customer successfully sued Microsoft for $10,000 after her computer's disruptive behavior cost her lost wages.
The push for the Windows 10 update cannot be all negative in the wake of recent malware attacks that exploited a vulnerability in the outdated Windows 7 version. May's WannaCry attack infiltrated 200,000 computers still using Windows 7 despite Microsoft toting Windows 10 as a securer version of the software. Windows 7 users did not heed Microsoft's warnings.