With the release of Windows 10 build 9860, there are couple new features, transitions and a bunch of other improvements that users will enjoy. But, under the hood, Microsoft has another reason to celebrate.
The deployment of 9860 was the first major test for Microsoft to be able to perform delta updates on the fly. When you downloaded build 9860, it was not a complete OS but only the necessary bits to make the jump from 9841 to 9860.
Yes, we know that this is not the first delta update in the history of Microsoft but for Windows and its users, this is a big deal. More so, for the vast majority, the update went smoothly which is a big achievement for Microsoft.
While the user base is not nearly as large as Windows 7 or 8, there are over a million users running the bits and so far, the social and Microsoft channels have been quiet with any widespread reports.
If you are wondering why Microsoft will not be offering up any ISOs of this build, it"s because they need to test this in-place upgrade functionality, and the best way to do that is to force users to use the feature.
Seeing that the first round went well and the fact that Microsoft will be offering a new release cadence shows that they are confident in how the system works.
[Update] Well, it looks like this was not a delta update as Microsoft has clarified that the full build was downloaded. Even with this additional information, this was still the first major update for Windows 10.