The Windows 10 21H1 update is supposed to be released in May/June 2021, and a series of features and experience packages that support Windows will be launched. Based on references found in the production build, Microsoft has already started preparing the update for PC computers.
Some conclusive evidence was found in the latest cumulative update of Windows 10 version 20H2/2004. In the cumulative updates in January 2021 and February 2021, Microsoft has begun to add Windows 10 version 21H1 related components to achieve support for enabling package ‘switches’.
You can manually scan the system drive to verify after installing the latest cumulative update. For example, if you perform a simple search for ’21H1′, you can already see Windows 10 21H1 files.
Although the 21H1 version will be a minor version, it still brings a new operating system version number and security improvements. To enable these changes, Microsoft is using an enablement package that is currently only 22KB in size.
This seems to confirm that Microsoft has started preparing for the 2021 spring update for your device. These changes will be triggered by the enable switch, just like the November 2019 update (1909 version) and the October 2020 update (20H2 version).
After installing the latest cumulative update, even if your network connection is slow, downloading the 2021 spring update activation package will be fast. Unlike the October 2020 update, this update releases a theme-recognizable ‘Start’ menu with no new features at all.
In other words, Microsoft changed the version and build number of the October update last year, and then added a few small improvements for the enterprise, creating the ’21H1 version’ update. In 2019, Microsoft stated that the activation package is a ‘pilot project’ and may not happen every year.
However, there is still a possibility that Microsoft has now abandoned the idea of performing the same complete upgrade twice a year, especially after a bug in the most recent monthly cumulative update. In this case, we are likely to see more activation package updates in the next few years.
(Via)
