0 Microsoft rolls out major update for Windows 8 before final release

With only two weeks remaining before the formal release of Windows 8, Microsoft on Tuesday rolled out a major update or its operating system that is said to provide improvements in performance, power management, battery efficiency, media playback and fixes general compatibility issues.

The update, which also includes a handful of bug fixes, will be available for users having early versions of the OS - mainly MSDN and enterprise customers. The general public has to wait until October 26 in order to get the updates.

Explaining the “Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 General Availability Cumulative Update”, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky in a blog post says, “This cumulative update package provides a collection of performance and reliability improvements that are designed to improve the Windows 8 experience. We recommend that you apply this cumulative update as part of your regular maintenance routines.”

Sinofsky further said that the updates being rolled out are ones that might normally be featured in Windows 8's first service pack. "[But] during the final months of Windows 8 we challenged ourselves to create the tools and processes to be able to deliver these 'post-RTM' updates sooner than a service pack," he wrote.

“By developing better test automation and test coverage tools we are happy to say that Windows 8 will be totally up to date for all customers starting at General Availability. If you are an MSDN or enterprise customer, these updates will be available for your Windows 8 PCs via Windows Update as of today (October 9), following our standard cadence for Windows Updates on the second Tuesday of each month at about 10:00am.”

Microsoft explains Windows 8 update

The update to Windows 8 OS comes shortly after the company updated for some built-in appsin the platform. Microsoft rolled out update to included the Skydrive, mail, messaging, photos, maps, news, travel, weather and Bing apps. The Bing search app is the first to receive the update, while others get the updates in a staggered fashion till the 26th of October. Find out more about apps getting updates here.

Besides app updates, Microsoft has made quite a few other changes as well for the Windows 8 platform. The company has replaced its traditional Points system for payments with direct payments. The change is currently only available on Zune Marketplace for movies and songs; but is expected to roll out for others app stores such as Xbox 360 marketplace as well.

Source: MSDN Blog