The company is planning to ship a new Windows update in spring 2015

Dec 2, 2013 15:27 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has only recently launched the new Windows 8.1, but the company is already working on the next two updates scheduled to be released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

While the spring 2014 rollout is very likely to be called either “Update 1” or “Spring 2014 GDR Update,” the 2015 round of improvements could be actually baptized Threshold.

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet is reporting that OS head Terry Myerson has recently revealed this name during a private meeting, saying that Microsoft is on track to launch it in early 2015.

While Redmond hasn’t obviously talked about such plans, the same report states that Threshold will actually be the update that will bring all Windows versions together, as Microsoft has made it public that it wants its future OS releases to merge some of its products.

Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox One could all be improved as part of the Threshold rollout, with Microsoft to put the emphasis on “high value activities,” just like outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer said in a recent press conference.

As you can see, Windows RT could be left out from this new round of updates, which could be a sign that Microsoft is indeed trying to merge the tablet operating system with Windows Phone.

Surprisingly, the Threshold rollout could come at about the same time as Windows 9, the next full Windows release that, according to some previous reports, was scheduled to go live in either later 2014 or early 2015.

Just like its predecessors, the next Windows version is expected to put the emphasis on touch devices, so it will further improve the Start screen and bring more optimization aimed at tablets.

We’re still waiting for some confirmation from Redmond, so until this happens, take all of these with a pinch of salt.