Where scenarios do require 10 years of support, we have found in our conversations that these needs are often better solved with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. With the fast and increasing pace of technological change, it is a challenge to get the up-to-date experience customers expect when using a decade-old product.

Through in-depth conversations with customers, we have found that many who previously installed an LTSC version for information worker desktops have found that they do not require the full 10-year lifecycle. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC is meant for specialty devices and scenarios that simply cannot accept changes or connect to the cloud, but still require a desktop experience: regulated devices that cannot accept feature updates for years at a time, process control devices on the manufacturing floor that never touch the internet, and specialty systems that must stay locked in time and require a long-term support channel. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Why are you making this change to Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC? You can read more about the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC announcement on the Windows IoT blog. Note that Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC is maintaining the 10-year support lifecycle this change is only being announced for Office LTSC and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC. This change addresses the needs of the same regulated and restricted scenarios and devices. Windows 10 Client LTSC will change to a 5-year lifecycle, aligning with the changes to the next perpetual version of Office. Today we are announcing that the next version of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will be released in the second half (H2) of calendar year 2021. Each of these products was designed to have a 10-year support lifecycle, as outlined in our lifecycle documentation.

In addition to Semi-Annual Channel releases of Windows 10 Enterprise, we also developed a Long Term Servicing Channel for Windows, known as Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC, and an Internet of Things (IoT) version known as Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Semi-Annual Channel versions of Windows, such as version 1909, version 2004, and version 20H2, are released twice per year. Windows 10 introduced Windows as a service, a method of continually providing new features and capabilities through regular feature updates.

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