14 DAY TRIAL // We have already known that Microsoft isn’t planning to roll out any new service packs for Windows, but this time the company has publicly suggested that it’s giving up on this strategy for future Windows versions.
In a blog post announcing this month’s update rollout for Windows 8.1, which has also been used to kill off rumors pointing to a possible Windows 8.1 Update 2, Microsoft explains that it’s no longer willing to wait several months to deliver a large pack of improvements for its operating systems.
Instead, the company says, users will be offered monthly updates that are included in the Patch Tuesday rollouts and provide a number of enhancements, not necessarily concerning the security of the operating system.
Microsoft explains that sometime, these monthly updates could also bring new features, although nothing exciting is expected to be released until Windows 9 officially gets to see daylight.
“Rather than waiting for months and bundling together a bunch of improvements into a larger update as we did for the Windows 8.1 Update, customers can expect that we’ll use our already existing monthly update process to deliver more frequent improvements along with the security updates normally provided as part of ‘Update Tuesday.’ So despite rumors and speculation, we are not planning to deliver a Windows 8.1 Update 2,” Microsoft explained in a statement yesterday.
All Windows improvements will obviously be shipped through Windows Update, as is the case with the Patch Tuesday fixes released every single month. This way, Windows users could get it with little effort, making everything a seamless process that’s appropriate for both beginners and those more experienced.
“We’ll continue to use our normal channels such as Windows Update (WU), Microsoft Update (MU), and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to deliver updates to Windows. These updates will include security updates to help keep you protected, as well as non-security updates that can bring a range of improvements to your PC or tablet running Windows,” the company says.
Windows 7 thus remains the last operating system which received a service pack per se, although some say that Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update could easily be considered service packs as well for the core Windows 8 operating system.
Microsoft however has switched to a faster release cadence, and waiting for service packs that could be released every 12 months isn’t quite the best option, so expect even more things to change with the release of Windows 9.