Windows 8.1 Update 1 introduced a number of new consumer features which helped make the operating system easier to use for desktops, and Update 2 (also known as the August Update) introduces a few power user tools. The original plan was that Microsoft were going to release two updates for Windows 8.1 in 2014 before Threshold in 2015, however that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
According to Mary Jo Foley on Twitter, an Update 3 for Windows 8.1 could be in the works. Whilst an Update 2 has been debunked by Microsoft itself, internally the August updates were originally called Update 2, so technically we can still call the August update the second Update for Windows 8.1, something Foley had reported on months ago.
WinBeta can confirm via unnamed sources that an Update 3 has started development, and if an Update 3 was to eventually be release (internally Microsoft aren’t sure if they’re going to release it), the idea is that it would be released in the fall of 2014, most likely alongside a preview release of Windows Threshold. That’s *if* an update 3 happens. Other sources have claimed similar things too.
It’s still very early days regarding an Update 3, and if this update does come into light we haven’t got any idea what it will include. Many of the features Update 2 was originally going to include have been pushed back to Threshold, so an Update 3 would be just as empty as Update 2, that’s if an Update 3 actually does happen. Microsoft may ultimately decide to cancel Update 3 and work entirely on Threshold for a release in 2015, and possible preview release this fall.
@sM4llziE @ronwinbeta a maybe
— Mary Jo Foley (@maryjofoley) August 7, 2014
Of course, it’s very early days right now, meaning anything could happen. Microsoft may opt to leave Update 3 behind, or they may decide to continue working on it for a release this fall, either way, we’ll keep you updated here at WinBeta. So, what do you reckon Microsoft could include in an Update 3 for Windows 8.1, if an Update 3 for Windows 8.1 is released?
