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A big Windows 10 update called 'Redstone' is coming next year — and it's named after Minecraft

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Minecraft Windows 10 Redstone
Flickr/yostD7000

While Windows 10 has yet to officially launch, Microsoft is already working on a big update for the operating system called "Redstone" that will arrive in 2016, according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.

Windows 10, scheduled to arrive this summer, will still see regular system updates throughout the next year, but ZDNet says Redstone will be something bigger, designed to "provide new functionality and support for new classes of devices that aren't already part of Windows 10."

The report is likely referencing upcoming Microsoft hardware such as the HoloLens, Microsoft's "holographic" augmented reality headset, and the Xbox Surface Hub, its 84-inch touchscreen designed to replace the whiteboard. For these devices and their software to work well with Windows 10, a larger update like Redstone may be necessary.

Interestingly enough, Microsoft has chosen to continue its tradition of choosing a codename for its software that references its first party video games. Windows 10, codenamed "Threshold," is a direct reference to the planet of the same name in the "Halo" universe.

With Redstone, Microsoft is referencing a virtual ore used in the game "Minecraft," which Microsoft now owns after it acquired the game studio behind "Minecraft," Mojang, for $2.5 billion in September.

Minecraft Redstone
A block of Redstone ore in "Minecraft."  Flickr/ceoln

Microsoft has a habit of naming software and products after its video games: both Microsoft's Siri-like virtual assistant Cortana and its new Windows 10 browser, codenamed Project Spartan, are based off of  "Halo" characters.

Interested in learning more about Windows 10? Check out what you'll be able to do with Microsoft's new operating system by clicking here.

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Steven Tweedie
Steven Tweedie is a Deputy Executive Editor at Business Insider. He launched the Business News desk in early 2020 and helped grow it into the Trending and Tech News desk, a fast-paced reporting powerhouse that tackles the biggest business and tech stories of the day in an approachable way. He now oversees the Business News desk, Corporate team, and Weekend desk. He works out of the New York newsroom and helps train fellows and new hires at all experience levels in addition to his daily editing duties.He began his career covering app startups and gadgets on the Technology desk at BI. His past reporting and scoops have been cited or syndicated by publications including the WSJ, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and Forbes. He attended the University of Michigan, where he studied economics and writing, and now lives in Astoria.Have a news tip? Email Steven from a non-work email at stweedie@bjinnox.comFollow him on X and Threads for the latest.