One potential reason for why Microsoft wants to move away from single-number versioning is that it now updates applications separately from the core OS. Just as motherboard companies still make reference to the BIOS as opposed to the UEFI, it’s not because the term remains accurate - it’s because the term is known and understood by the target audience. Like “gone gold,” it captures a particular moment and is useful for denoting that yes, the OS has been deemed ready and shipped out. RTM is an understood point at which a product is shipped for installation on a system. Returning to the Windows 10 RTM issue, I’d be surprised if the industry stopped using the term. Instead, this push seems to be more about driving consumers to accept the idea of an ever-evolving, auto-updating software package. Microsoft is embracing the concept of Windows-as-a-service, but not because other companies that distribute similar products have done so. They still launch cohesive branded products around particular codenames. Apple and Google both distribute OS updates over-the-air (well, carriers do). “We are embracing a new way to deliver Windows.”įar be it for me to contradict Microsoft, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s actually happening. When Mark Hachman of PCWorld reached out to the company for confirmation, he was met with the following: “This build is the latest Windows 10 build, and we’ll continue to update Windows 10 code as we head toward launch and beyond,” a Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement.

The problem with this classification, however, is that Microsoft now refuses to use it. As the Windows 10 ship draws close to port, we’ve seen confirmation from multiple sources that yes, Windows 10 Build 10240 is the RTM version that was sent out to OEMs for installation.

Windows 10 pro 10240