The Internet and Social Media have changed the development process for many of the products we use. Windows 10 in particular has embraced the benefits of these modern day platforms to help improve and bring new releases to market approximately every six months. When I participated in Microsoft Beta Programs (remember Microsoft Betaplace and Connect) more than a decade ago, it was sort of an exclusive club of maybe few thousand or more.
Although both had its benefits, with the significant growth of Windows and Office, there had to be change to make feedback represent the billions of users