The Windows 10 "Creators Update" is planned for an April release, so with the calendar showing mid-March, the company should be in the process of finalizing the massive update to its operating system. And all indications signal that's exactly what's happening.
First, eagle eyed Insiders who got Build 15055 noticed that the build removed the "Windows 10 Insider Preview" watermark and showed no expiration date. That watermark is back, but with it a new version number has finally changed.
The Version for the new build is 1703, vs 1607 for the last major update, known as the Anniversary Update, or by its codename, "Redstone." Microsoft's version numbering scheme is to use the first two digits of the year, followed by the month of the release.
So 1607 for the Anniversary Update means it was released in June 2016, while 1703 means it will be released in March of this year.
In addition, Windows Central reported that Microsoft is expected to begin its "internal sign-off process" for the Creators Update this week. That means the company is in final bug stomping mode and will start moving toward a release candidate build, which will then be distributed through the various Windows Insider rings starting next week.
The report claims that Microsoft is aiming to begin the general rollout of the Creators Update for PCs on April 11, which would be next month's Patch Tuesday. Like with the Anniversary Update, the rollout will then proceed in waves as the company monitors how the update is going and reacts to any problems. The Anniversary Update had its share of headaches that caused problems, and there's always the chance for a big showstopper.
WC also claims that all other devices are expected to get the update before May, which would signify a significantly faster rollout than the Anniversary Update -- it took more than three months to complete.
And Microsoft doesn't sit still. It will begin offering the first Insider Preview build from the Redstone 3, the next major update due in the fall, sometime in late April. This would be in time for the Build conference, held in Seattle in May.