Windows 10 20H1, or the 2004 version as will often be called by Microsoft itself in the coming months, on the home straight. It's aboutfeature update the first half of the year, the first for some time with real news: although formally Windows 10 1909 (or November 2019 Update) was a "major" update, in fact the news was very few and even the imprint the download (a few megabytes) was decidedly contained compared to Microsoft's practice regarding the most important updates.
Due to the various stability and reliability complaints that appeared online with previous versions of Windows 10, Microsoft had decided to prepare a more cautious release, with an update that only refined the changes of the previous version by importing only very few novelties (of entity not very important). Also for Windows 10 20H1 the story does not change much: although Microsoft has dedicated a long period of testing and is formally an important update, its dimensions will be decidedly limited.
However, there will be some changes and improvements in the user experience, and here are the main ones.
New Cortana app
The experience of Cortana, Microsoft virtual assistant who has never taken flight in a decidedly competitive market, will be totally revolutionized. The new version loses all the frills related to music, smart home control and third-party functionality to focus on productivity. Cortana "dies" on third-party platforms and no longer has official support from Microsoft on iOS and Android, while on Windows 10 it is offered in a window that can be dragged anywhere on the screen. It is therefore no longer anchored to the taskbar, and can also be launched via a keyboard key. The interface similar to that of a chat, which reports the history of conversations with the assistant.
Among the skills related to productivity, for example, we have some new possibilities: possibility to send or check e-mails, see upcoming appointments, set new events.
Windows Subsystem for Linux 2
A novelty not for everyone, but probably the most important of the entire update. Windows 10 20H1 integrates the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, an environment that allows you to use Linux distributions on Windows. Currently there is a version of the "subsystem" that works in a limited way and with an evident performance degradation, while with the second version we will have the full Linux kernel, with extremely improved compatibility and performance compared to today. The kernel will update itself as it happens with the main Windows operating system, then via Windows Update, and will have full support for ARM64 devices. In other words, WSL2 will also work on ARM CPU-based devices, such as Surface Pro X.
As for the performance benefits, Microsoft said that decompressing a compressed file takes twenty times the time, while on other activities the performance will be two to five times faster.
Windows Search improvements
There search on Windows Explorer will be slightly improved over previous versions. As always, it uses the Windows Search system, which allows you to get search suggestions while writing, also implementing the results of the files on OneDrive. On the new version the impact on system performance during lower indexing, with the function that is interrupted if the energy saving mode is enabled, if the battery is below 50% or if the CPU and storage unit activities are too high.
Windows Sandbox, the news
There are also news about the function Windows Sandbox, introduced with Windows 10 1903. With the new version it is possible to use configuration files in order to have the possibility to intervene on some settings, for example to disable the vGPU, allow or not allow network access, and much more. Microphone support has also been implemented.
Activity management
Among the news featured on Activity management we only have one worthy of mention: the possibility of display the temperature of the dedicated GPUs inside the screen, under the performance tab. Up to Windows 10 1909 it was only possible to view the percentage of use, and other information related to the memory and the drivers installed.
More news on Windows 10 20H1
Between the new features on Windows 10 20H1 we have several related to the functions of accessibility, such as the ability to move objects using your eyes through the Eye Control function, news on the Narrator (including an improvement in the functionality on Outlook and Mail), on the Magnifying Glass (which gains three reading modes) , and a new customizable text cursor to make it easier to find on the pages.
Finally, some screens of the operating system Settings change, gaining new options. now possible disable password authentication completely on accounts by forcing the use of biometric systems or PINs to log in. The Provisional Mode also supports the log-in via PIN, while the profile image, once modified, is also changed on all Microsoft services and apps faster than before.
A new option has been introduced that allows you to restart the apps when you log in again, both for the Win32 and UWP apps (which will be suspended and minimized in the system tray). The screen Optional features is redesigned with new options, including the ability to install more than one feature at a time by selecting them in advance, while in Update and security now granted more widespread control regarding the use of band for downloading new updates.
Microsoft also introduced the possibility of downloading and installing a new instance of Windows through the Windows Update settings: in previous versions it was necessary to download the ISO file or create a boot stick with the Windows Creation Tool. The whole process can now be done automatically directly from a Windows 10 installation.
There are also news on the notifications of the new connected Bluetooth devices, now less invasive, a new screen for the Network settings, and also news in the Languages. You can find the list of all the news on the official Microsoft website.
Windows 10 20H1: when does it come out?
Windows 10 20H1 is ready, and development can be considered completed. However still on trial by users of the Insider program, e there are no official release dates. The update should arrive in the spring, in April or in May at the latest.
