Windows 10 Still Getting New Features As Microsoft Gets Ready To Pull The Rug
We're just a few weeks into 2025, or as Microsoft recently called it, the "year of the Windows 11 PC refresh." The comment came in a blog post in which Microsoft made a pitch to rid yourself of your crusty old Windows 10 (or earlier) system and purchase a new PC that supports and runs Windows 11. So color us a little surprised that Windows 10, the operating system that Microsoft would like to see hundreds of millions users abandon, is still getting new features.
The timing is also interesting because Windows 10 is on track to be retired by Microsoft this year, as it pertains to ongoing support.
"We recently confirmed that after providing 10 years of updates and support, Windows 10 will reach the end of its lifecycle on Oct. 14, 2025. After this date, Windows 10 PCs will no longer receive security or feature updates, and our focus is on helping customers stay protected by moving to modern new PCs running Windows 11. Whether the current PC needs a refresh, or it has security vulnerabilities that require the latest hardware-backed protection, now is the time to move forward with a new Windows 11 PC," Microsoft stated in a blog post earlier this month.
That's less than nine months away at this point. Be that as it may, Microsoft is still devoting resources to adding new features to Windows 10, as revealed in the latest Release Preview build (19045.5435) for Insiders. One of the new features outlined in the latest build is a retooled Calendar experience in the toolbar.
In this month's episode of "Windows 10 keeps getting new features": a rich calendar experience in the system tray, with holiday illustrations and weather forecasts - at the cost of a clock with seconds. (19045.5435) https://t.co/BSaRV5SaCc pic.twitter.com/cG0qtBBxDi
— phantomofearth ⛄ (@phantomofearth) January 19, 2025
"Stay informed and informed with the new calendar. See the weather forecast and learn about the holidays and events that are coming up," Microsoft explains.
You can see how it looks in the X/Twitter post above, courtesy of user @phantomofearth, who shared a screenshot of the rich calendar experience in Windows 10. The user also outlined how to enable the feature, which is still in testing. Just head to Settings > Date & time and start flipping toggles underneath the Calendar events section.
Microsoft's latest Windows 10 Preview build also adds a new Outlook for Windows app as the free default mail app. If you're running the test build, you'll see this as a new app icon on the Start menu. If you have the former mail app pinned to the taskbar, the new icon will replace it.
Beyond those things, it's a fairly minor update with a handful of bug fixes, as outlined in Microsoft's Insider blog. For example, Microsoft addressed an issue that was causing the depletion of virtual memory, it fixed an NFC bug, and a few other odds and ends.
