It was recently revealed that Microsoft would be calling its upcoming Fall Creators Update the Autumn Creators Update in regions that use International English such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India. This is due to the fact that the season is referred to by its actual name in most countries while its slang name, Fall, has become more commonplace in North America, so much so that it’s even taught in schools.
While it’s great to see Microsoft acknowledge the way English is spoken in different countries, this change fails to address one little problem; Whether you call it Fall or Autumn, all countries in the Southern Hemisphere will be in Spring when the Fall/Autumn Creators Update comes out.
This quick name-swap becomes an issue when consumers see the new Windows 10 features being advertised as coming this Autumn, a full six months after Microsoft is actually going to launch the update. Fall in North America begins on September 22nd 2017. Autumn in Australia? March 1st 2018.
“Starting with the Windows 10 Autumn Creators Update, these innovative features will further empower your creativity,” the promotional blurb on the Australian Microsoft website reads. Nowhere on the site, even in the fine print, is there any mention of it actually coming during Spring 2017.
What do you think about this? Do you think the name causes confusion and should Microsoft shift to non-seasonal names for future updates? Let us know in the comments below.
