Microsoft began rolling out the latest version of Windows 10, the Anniversary Update, on August 2. At that time, Microsoft officials said the rollout would be staggered, but didn't get too explicit as to how -- or how long it might take the company to push Windows 10 Anniversary to consumers and business users who are on the so-called Current Branch of Windows 10.
It's worth repeating that those who really want the Anniversary Update immediately have options to proactively go get it. (And yes, the irony is not lost on me: Now that Microsoft isn't force-feeding Windows 7 and 8 users Windows 10, people who aren't being offered the latest Windows 10 update are asking why they don't have it.)
I received a Microsoft blast email just over a week ago that included a footnote that mentioned it might take up to three months for Microsoft to push the Anniversary Update to those set up to get it. That means those currently waiting may still have another month and a half to wait.
Here's the footnote from that email blast:
"The Anniversary Update will download and install via Windows Update. The download is automatically available to you. It will begin rolling out on 2 August 2016 and may take up to 3 months to reach all users. Internet access fees may apply," said the footnote to the email I received on September 1.
Some who've seen headlines about various problems introduced by the Anniversary Update and subsequent cumulative update patches to it may be in no hurry to get the latest feature update to Windows 10. There have been reports of compatibility issues with the Anniversary Update and McAfee security software, webcams, Kindles, PowerShell Desired State Configuration feature and more.
Redmond is of course spinning this like mad, claiming that it's a good thing that it will take them three months to roll out an August, that it allows them to better accommodate all the various hardware configurations that exist on PCs, and that the much-derided telemetry feature (still the subject of regulatory action by CNIL because it violates privacy laws in France) is making all of this work better, but I don't recall a single time that they had to roll out a Windows 7 service pack over a period of months while checking it for bugs.
To me, this just looks like a terrible mess of a consumer experience; consumers who want the features that are in the A.U. are having to manually download the update in order to get them, while people who've got the update installed, whether manually or automatically, are finding that it has more bugs than a bait store. It's not just ironic, it's lose-lose.
Have I mentioned yet just how glad I am, that I didn't "upgrade" to this mess?