In a blog post, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Server and System Center will not launch until 2016. The move is a departure from Microsoft's historic strategy of launching its server platform alongside the general consumer release of Windows. As it stands, Windows 10 will launch this year, and Windows Server won't be finalized until 2016.
"Our next preview is planned for the spring of 2015. Windows Server will continue to share the same core technology as Windows and we will continue working together on solutions for our customers," Microsoft's server and cloud team announced. " In fact, the next version of System Center Configuration Manager, which delivers support for Windows 10, will ship in a timeframe that aligns with Windows."
Though Windows Server won't officially debut until 2016, Microsoft will continue to launch preview builds for the platform through 2015. The first preview build of Windows Server was released in October alongside the preview of Windows 10.
"We're already busy building the next version of Windows Server and System Center, making it easier to implement hybrid by taking our learnings from running Microsoft Azure at hyperscale to Windows Server and System Center."
Prior to the official announcement, there had been speculations that Microsoft may delay Windows Server's launch.
"When I spoke to Mike Neil, General Manager of Windows Server at TechEd Barcelona in October, he told me the plan of record was to make the next public preview available in "early 2015," so something changed between then and now," ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley states.
Microsoft has not elaborated on why it has pushed back the release of the next public preview from early 2015 to spring 2015.
