Microsoft declares Windows 10 April 2018 Update ready for businesses
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Just two-and-a-half months after the commencement of the rollout of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (aka, "Redstone 4"), Microsoft is declaring it ready for businesses and "fully available" for all supported devices.
In a June 14 blog post, Microsoft officials said the April 2018 Update (also known as version 1803) has met the quality and reliability bars for it to enter the final phase of its rollout process.
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Starting today, the April Update/1803 will be rolling out automatically to users through Windows Update. And business customers should feel safe in deploying the April Update/1803 when ready, officials added.
Microsoft officials said today that more than 250 million machines already are running the April 2018 Update.
The rollout pace of the April 2018 update has been faster than previous updates, officials said. Microsoft kicked off the April 2018 Update on April 30, 2018.
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Microsoft started rolling out the previous Windows 10 feature update -- known as the Fall Creators Update/1709 -- on October 17, 2017. Three months later, in mid-January, Microsoft officials declared 1709 was ready for business deployment.
"The April 2018 Update is officially the fastest version of Windows 10 to reach 250 million devices, achieving that mark in less than half the time it took the Fall Creators Update," officials said in today's blog post.
Comparatively, Microsoft officials said the Fall Creators Update/1709 was the fastest Windows 10 release to reach 100 million devices.
Microsoft officials are saying that they're seeing "higher satisfaction numbers, fewer known issues and lower support call volumes compared to previous Windows 10 releases" with the April 2018 Update. Officials said that they've communicated with customers via their service forums to keep them in the loop when issues arise, and say that AI technologies, feedback and/or telemetry data has allowed the company to quickly adjust to temporarily stop offering the update to those affected.
I will note that I have received a lot more questions and complaints from readers about the April 2018 Update than I did about the previous two updates, the Fall Creators Update (1709) and original Creators Update (1703). Yes, I know this is anecdotal, but it has been noticeable.
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With the April Update, Microsoft began offering the update to "seekers," meaning anyone who proactively checked Windows Update for the latest updates. Microsoft's phased approach relying on telemetry and AI techniques to provide the update to those with the devices most likely to successfully take it, didn't begin until a week later, on May 8.
Among the problems users have reported with Windows 10 April 2018 Update were incompatibilities with Avast, various PC tune-up utility incompatibilities which resulted in black screens for some users, Google Chrome lock-ups and more.
Microsoft has said that Windows 10 is currently on close to 700 million monthly active devices.