Good thing we don't have to consult with Microsoft PR when talking about Windows in public and can still call it for what it is.
How does any of this change anything? Who cares..call it Betty if it makes you feel complete. It's a milestone release of an ever evolving OS. It doesn't stop at this point.
Isn't it funny, that latest TH2 ISOs from MSDN are 1511-2, while RS1 InMarket (internal branch called "release"? or what is it?) is already 14393-3? (If of course 14393-3 is same as 1607-3.) So final ZDP will update 14393-0 to 14393-3 or higher? MS is an expert to create chaos in everything.
Seriously? Rumours are subjected to unconfirmed sources. That means they are seen as completely not correct or doubtful.
Why do you compare marketing version 1511 with acrual build version 14393? either compare 1511 with 1607, or 10586.164 with 14393.3
RTM still means something. It means Release to Manufacturing. Microsoft still signs off on builds they designate as generally high enough quality that they will be a good starting point for each OEM system. They go through all the same checks and balances they used to go through for OS like Win7. When people ask if it's RTM, it's not an unimportant question. It does still denote a certain amount of quality. Yes, we're all aware that WAAS (Windows as a Service) is a thing now, but MS still tests builds extensively and makes sure there are no major problems before sending them to OEMs. All that being said, for the average user, it's not as important as it used to be. The cumulative updates each month change files and features a certain amount. MS also tends to leave the functionality of the builds the same for each version (Ex: 1511 vs 1607) For this reason, 1607 will remain largely unchanged, even with updated builds every few months. If they do another updated version next year it will be different than 1607. The build updates such as 10586.xxx vs 14393.x are just bug fixes and security fixes and such. They don't really change the functionality. If you're getting hung up on that stuff, you're misunderstanding. So, in closing, yes they're right to be obsessed with RTM, but it's not the final answer. They will still do ZDP and monthly cumulative updates to fix any issues and security problems.