14 DAY TRIAL // It’s a well-known fact that it takes forever for all Windows Phone users to get the latest updates on their devices, but Microsoft is willing to address this problem in Windows 10 with the help of a new effort called Project Milkway.
According to a slide that was presented by Redmond at WinHEC in China, the company is rethinking the upgrade patch for all devices, so when Windows 10 comes out, all devices should be upgraded in less than 6 weeks.
Basically, Microsoft is trying to simplify the update delivering process, so once Microsoft completes development of new packs of improvements, they should land on users’ devices in 4 to 6 weeks.
It will all begin with Windows 10, Redmond suggests, so once the new OS gets the go-ahead, users will no longer have to wait for months to receive it, no matter if they own a low-end model or a flagship.
Microsoft has already confirmed that absolutely all Windows Phone 8.1 devices will support Windows 10 for phones, so if Project Milkway is approved, it shouldn’t take more than a month to get all handsets on the new OS. This is a win-win for Microsoft and its users, as everyone would be satisfied that Windows 10 becomes available for their devices faster, while the company boosts the market share of the software in a very short time.
Denim still not available on some devices
Living proof of Microsoft’s failure to bring updates to all devices in the shortest possible time is the Lumia Denim firmware, which is yet to arrive on all devices.
Microsoft started the Denim rollout in December 2014, and four months later, the new firmware is not yet available on all Lumia models. Microsoft is still updating devices worldwide, despite some promises that the rollout would be completed by the end of February.
Windows 10 is projected to be unveiled in the second half of 2015, but Project Milkway is still being developed within the company right now. As you can see in the above slide, carriers are still involved in the update shipping process, so it remains to be seen if Microsoft can indeed tackle this problem despite the fact that delays could be caused by third parties as well.