Windows 8 getting rolling updates prior to October 26 launch

Windows 8
The end of the Service Pack?

Microsoft has announced its intention to release a series of rolling updates to its upcoming Windows 8 platform in the weeks before its launch.

Announced on the MSDN blog, the first set of upgrades are available to download today and include performance enhancements, battery efficiency updates and power management improvements.

Previous versions of Windows have seen Microsoft issue updates direct to OEMs in the weeks before launch to enable them to update the software before shipping.

This meant was that historically customers have had to wait until the first Service Pack was released before the operating system was bug-free.

For Windows 8 Redmond has opted for a direct download approach. Microsoft has worked with manufacturers to address software issues, resulting in a system of rolling updates that makes the most up-to-date OS available to all customers at launch.

Ready for liftoff

With the operating system set to launch in just over two weeks on October 26, and Samsung planning a huge New York event just five days away, Microsoft is clearly ramping up for its biggest launch in years.

While controversy about the lack of a Start menu in the new operating system has been at the forefront of the OS release, efforts like this from Microsoft are sure to help ease the transition period from older versions of Windows to the shiny new Windows 8.

Via: MSDN

Having spent the past decade editing some of Australia's leading technology publications, Nick's passion for the latest gadgetry is matched only by his love of watching Australia beat England in the rugby.