Sources say that Microsoft could still launch a third update for Windows 8.1 after all

Jul 15, 2014 09:49 GMT  ·  By

Windows 8.1 Update 2 is expected to debut next month, but even so, everyone's talking about Windows 9 these days, and it's easy to see why. With so many great features rumored to be implemented in Windows 9, people expect this OS version to be really exciting, so they call for Microsoft to bring it to the market as soon as possible.

That's exactly what the company is actually planning to do. A new report published by PCBeta and revealed on Twitter by FaikeeF indicates that Windows 9 is indeed Microsoft's key priority right now, but Windows 8.1 Update 2 is still on track to see daylight at the scheduled time.

What's more, depending on how fast work on Windows 9 advances, Microsoft could also bring to users a third Windows 8.1 update, intuitively called Windows 8.1 Update 3, which could be released in early 2015.

The reasoning behind this new plan is not as complicated as it seems. Basically, Microsoft wants to release Windows 8.1 Update 2 and then continue work on Windows 9 until April 2015, when the company is set to unveil the new operating system.

If for some reasons the work is delayed, most likely because of issues with some of the changes that it wants to integrate in the OS or due to last-minute modifications, the company could also roll out Windows 8.1 Update 3 in the first months of the next year.

As compared to what people might believe, Windows 8.1 Update 3 won't bring any big changes to existing Windows 8.1 installations. Instead, this OS version could be used to pave the road for Windows 9 and prepare computers for the new release.

Previous reports indicated that Microsoft might go so far that Windows 9 could be made freeware for those running the last version of Windows 8.1, so Update 3 could also play this role. A new activation system is said to be implemented in Windows 9, which means that Windows 8.1 Update 3 could make some critical changes to 8.1 devices in order to be able to cope with the modifications made in the next full release.

Just as it happens with all the other rumors we get these days, do not take these for granted, so just wait for more information to be provided by Microsoft itself. Chances are that this isn't going to happen anytime soon though, as Redmond really wants to keep everything related to Windows 9 completely secret.