Windows 10 May Be The Last Official Version of Windows

With Windows 10 set to make its official debut later this year and Microsoft re-shifting their focus and the role of the operating system to create more of a Windows as a service model, we may be seeing the final days of traditional Windows releases and the traditional branding methodology we know today.

Speaking during the Ignite conference held earlier this week, Microsoft developer evangelist Jerry Nixon made a rather intriguing statement. Nixon stated that, "Right now we're releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we're all still working on Windows 10."

This statement has been taken by many to mean that Microsoft's refocusing of Windows as a service will mean the death of what we now know of Windows as being. Now that doesn't mean that Microsoft isn't going to launch future versions of Windows after Windows 10. Instead, it looks like we will see a shift towards the model Apple currently has. We'll see Microsoft releasing more frequent updates with an ever evolving operating system rather than major new releases every few years.

In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft looked to clarify Nixon's original statement:

Recent comments at Ignite about Windows 10 are reflective of the way Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers. We aren't speaking to future branding at this time, but customers can be confident Windows 10 will remain up-to-date and power a variety of devices from PCs to phones to Surface Hub to HoloLens and Xbox. We look forward to a long future of Windows innovations.

We're already seeing how this may be implemented with security updates. Microsoft has already announced that it would be changing the way they release updates, ending what is traditionally called Patch Tuesday, instead delivering updates as soon as they are ready.

From the foundation of it, it looks like we will need to start rethinking the way we view Windows updates from Windows 10 on. It sounds like we will start to see something much closer to our mobile operating systems like Android, where as most of your major updates are done for specific apps and services, while overall system updates that warrant full version numbers will be further in-between.