Still waiting for Windows 10 Anniversary Update? You could be waiting until November

On August 2, Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for PCs and for HoloLens, just a few days after it released the Anniversary Update August Update Summer Update for the Xbox One. On August 16, the update was released for unlocked Windows 10 Mobile devices, followed a week later by those handsets locked to specific carriers.

Six weeks after the rollout commenced for PCs, many Windows 10 users still haven't received the Anniversary Update, and it looks like they could be waiting a while yet.

As Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet spotted, an email sent to Microsoft customers this month suggested that the update may not reach all customers until November. A footnote at the bottom of that email stated:

The Anniversary Update will download and install via Windows Update. The download is automatically available to you. It will begin rolling out on 2 August 2016 and may take up to 3 months to reach all users. Internet access fees may apply.

Microsoft has always made clear that it would take some time to complete the rollout, saying that it would proceed in 'waves' after its initial release.

The reason for this is that Microsoft is continuing to make improvements to the Anniversary Update as its rollout continues. Since August 2, there have been reports of users' PCs being affected by various issues, from freezing problems to webcam failures and more. As it extends availability of the update to each wave, it's able to collect and analyze more telemetry from real-world users, helping it to fix these problems as it goes, and potentially preventing new ones from occurring.

While the obvious downside is that it leaves many users waiting for the update to be pushed to their PCs, there are clear benefits to this approach compared with a simultaneous 'day one' rollout to over 350 million Windows 10 devices, with their infinite combinations of hardware and software.

And if you're not happy waiting a few more weeks for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to arrive on your PC, you don't actually have to wait any longer. Check out our handy guide to help you install the Anniversary Update now.

Source: Mary Jo Foley (ZDNet)