Will Windows 10 October 2020 Update (20H2) be rolled out soon?

[German]There are indications that Microsoft is planning the general release of the upcoming Windows 10 20H2 version in the coming hours or days. Here is some information about this new feature update.

Windows 10 20H2: Available as a Release Preview

Microsoft has frozen the autumn version of Windows 10 as 20H2 quasi in June already regarding the further development and concentrated only on the correction of errors. In mid-September 2020, the current build for Windows Insider was then distributed for testing in the so-called Release Preview Channel. I had mentioned it within the blog post Windows 10 20H2 released as final build in Release Preview Channel. And an ISO installation file was already available for Insider since August 2020 (see Windows 10 20H2 ISOs for Insiders available).

The name is Windows 10 October 2020 Update (20H2)

When announcing the release preview build in the Windows blog, Microsoft also announced the name for the fall 2020 version of Windows 10. The name is based on the year and the release month October. Microsoft wrote that the new version should be called Windows 10 October 2020 Update (20H2). New is the abbreviation 20H2 instead of using something like 2009 or 2010 as version number.

The turning away from Windows 10 1909, Windows 10 2004 naming scheme had been clear for quite some time. Microsoft had problems with the 2004 naming scheme, because the obvious naming Windows 10 2003 would have collided with Windows Server 2003. So the spring edition of Windows 10 became the 2004 version and was released to the general public in May 2020. The 20H2 naming scheme is more transparent, it says the 2nd feature update in year 2020.

ISO image on Microsoft servers?

The colleagues of German site deskmodder.de report in this article (deleted) that the installation image of Windows 10 20H1 is already on the Microsoft Techbench download servers. But currently I notice that the ISO image file is neither offered by Adguard (they are linking to the ISOs from Techbench) nor in the Visual Studio subscription (MSDN). 

Feature Upgrade or small Enablement Update

In the Autumn Update 2020, Microsoft is again retaining the approach that was already chosen in 2019 for Windows 10 Version 1909. Depending on the initial situation, a complete function update or only a small enablement update will be rolled out via Windows Update.

• Users who already have Windows 10 version 2004 installed will receive the so-called Enablement Update KB4562830, which is only a few hundred KB in size. The update will unlock the features of Windows 10 20H2 that have already been rolled out via Windows Update for Windows 10 Version 2004.
• Users who are running older Windows 10 builds (e.g. version 1909) will be offered a complete feature upgrade via Windows Update, which replaces the complete Windows 10 substructure.

I already explained this in the blog post Windows 10 V2004: Enablement-Update KB4562830 to 20H2 (see also Insides: Windows 10 19H2 development/deployment (V1909)). When the individual upgrades will be rolled out to existing systems is still open. Microsoft has not yet officially confirmed the release. After the general availability, the rollout will also take place in waves – only machines that have been recognized as compatible will receive the upgrade in a timely manner. 

What's new in Windows 10 20H2?

Some readers may be wondering what is going to change so dramatically with Windows 10 20H2. If I ask myself this question, there's always a big emptiness – I can't think of anything ad hoc (except for some gimmicks on the user interface, where something in the start menu has been redesigned or something has been hidden from the control panel to the settings page). So I started a quick search to see if I missed something. Have a look at the ZDNet article What's new in Windows 10 version 20H2 or the How to Geek article What's New in Windows 10's October 2020 Update (20H2).