Every time I see a big Windows 11 update, I wonder why it wasn’t a version of Windows 11.1 or Windows 11.2. Instead, Microsoft has used various confusing ways to name Windows updates in recent years instead of a simple method like spot releases.
Let me illustrate my spot To you:
- Windows 10 Anniversary Update
- Windows 10 Creators Update
- Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
- Windows 10 October 2020 Update
- Windows 10 May 2021 Update
- Windows 11 22H2
- Windows 11 2023 Update
As you can see, Microsoft is gradually adopting a more understandable naming strategy for Windows versions, but it still regularly uses nicknames 22H2 and 23H2 that sound like strange codenames to normal people. If you go to Windows Update, you’re also more likely to see a reference to 23H2, and even the About screen in Windows lists 23H2 as the current version of Windows 11.
I’m not entirely sure what’s stopping Microsoft from using spot releases for Windows these days. Windows 8 got its own Windows 8.1 update, but it never had true versions like Windows 8.1.1 or Windows 8.1.2. Windows 10 then followed with a confusing mess of marketing and internal names that often make no sense.
A few years ago, several sources told me that Microsoft was considering naming its updates after animals or people, but ultimately decided against it for a variety of reasons, including because people can do bad things and you don’t want an operating system named after them. name. a bad person. Instead, Microsoft moved to monthly names instead of one-time releases, and now we’re back to annual names that don’t really mean much considering Windows 11 has had several major updates in 2023 alone.
Apple successfully uses spot releases for iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, even if it stubbornly sticks to naming macOS releases after locations. It’s easy for me to troubleshoot a family member’s iPhone and get a quick and clear idea of what version of iOS they’re running. On Windows, the 23H2 version number doesn’t really tell me much, because there are monthly updates that can add features on top of that. It’s also much easier to Google “Windows 11.1” than “Windows 11 November 2023 Update” or “Windows 23H2 November Features” to find out what’s been added.
I mean, just look at Microsoft’s. own update history page for Windows 11, it is filled with a combination of KB numbers and OS build numbers. Now look at Apple’s list of updates for iOS 17, it is immediately easier to understand that iOS 17.1.1 is the latest. Microsoft lists operating system versions 22621.2715 and 22631.2715, which don’t mean much to real humans. Good luck comparing those builds to 22621.2506 and 22631.2506, which were released just two weeks apart.
Microsoft also has a long history of making terrible mistakes in the brand names of its Windows operating systems. Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s head of modern work and enterprise applications, joked about the Windows name earlier this month. “Simplicity and names, well, haven’t always been our strong point,” Spataro admitted, while discussing the name change from Bing Chat to Copilot. “Does anyone else remember Windows XP 64-bit Edition for extended 64-bit systems? It just rolls off the tongue,” he joked.
Still, it could be much worse. Believe it or not, Microsoft used to ship a product called “Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition” and even released Windows Phone as “Windows Phone 7.1 Series” before quickly abandoning the Series part. Windows Mobile’s naming history spanned at least 15 years of different brands, so we may still have a little time left before things improve.
Hopefully, with Windows 12, or whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, we’ll finally get back to point releases or a clear and easy way to identify the latest version of Windows. Until then, good luck helping your family member with their Windows laptop during Thanksgiving. Oh, and don’t forget to turn off the motion smoothing feature on your family’s TV while you’re at it.
