Microsoft Kills Update 2 and Patch Tuesday

Microsoft has at last revealed the date when its second major update to Windows 8.1 will ship to customers: never.

Despite months of speculation that the software giant has been planning to push out another major update roll-up for its latest OS this year, much like it did with the oddly named Windows 8.1 Update in April, Redmond mouthpiece Brandon LeBlanc bloggedon Tuesday that we can forget it.

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"Rather than waiting for months and bundling together a bunch of improvements into a larger update as we did for the Windows 8.1 Update, customers can expect that we'll use our already existing monthly update process to deliver more frequent improvements along with the security updates normally provided as part of 'Update Tuesday'," LeBlanc wrote.

Read the rest of the story here.

 

[Tepid]

Yes, that is true. to a degree.
But this is more fear mongering than anything in my opinion.

It's not that big a deal really.

I would rather have some of these features get polished up and deployed proper in Win9
than half-baked patched up work around, which would probably be the case in Win8.x

This isn't a bad thing.

Some, as I like to call them, pseudo-techjurnos and know-nothing bloggers, like to blow things out of proportion
and say, "See? I told you Win8 sucks, and MS are screwing you."

Just read the comments on that article, it'll tell you everything you need to know as to why these types of Headlines are written.

Nothing to see here.

 

[RBS]

The way I interpret this is;

Microsoft has decided to not bother with Windows 8.1 any further. It will do only what it must to fix bugs, and slight modifications for ease of use. I see this as an abandonment of Windows 8 entirely.

currently;
They have $1.7 billion in losses from Surface sales alone
Windows 8 is essentially dead in the water
Windows Phone (Nokia debacle) has lost market share
XBox is being outsold 3 to 1 by Sony's Playstation

I think Microsoft is hard at work on it's Windows 9, I think it has to be a success, or, if it is a failure, I feel their future will not be a pretty one. IMHO

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

As a previous poster said - I'd rather wait for W9 rather than any minor changes to W8.1. If you are running W8.1 update 1 with the relevant updates applied it seems to work pretty well.

Let Ms get on with W9 and sort out the way Metro works -- the current method doesn't really please EITHER desktop or Mobile users -- re-sizeable windows on these are a MUST as well as concurrent visibility -- very few people are only doing one thing at time on Windows in a workplace -- even if you are connected to a backend ERP type system you might be connected to a TEST and a PROD machine and a DEV if you are a developer. Even if you are only an ordinary user you might be connected to 3 or 4 systems at different locations or different functionality, as well as running WORD / EXCEL etc.

I wouldn't worry either about Ms's financial position -- IMO Apple is more at risk - hence its desperate tie up with IBM to try and get a foothold into the corporate market which has largely ignored Apple. Ms makes a LOT and will continue to make a lot from its office suite - and it provides a huge amount of services to business.

The Markets don't seem to have any worries about Ms -- here's it's graph for the last 3 months - a period of Market volatility -- Russia / Ukraine, Sanctions on Russia, Chinese problems with Ms, Israeli conflict in Gaza, Fed reducing "Quantative Easing" - I.e pumping money into the economy etc. I've drawn a reasonable "trend line" in green. - Don't invest without doing YOUR OWN research though.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[RBS]

@Jimbo

The graph is telling, but predictions are a dime a dozen.

I think Microsoft is running out of options, everything has been heading south for them. Microsoft had built a nice nest egg , but I fear that nest is nearing empty. You simply can't hemorrhage the amounts of money they have without some significant changes. By year's end I think a clearer picture will emerge. Big Blue (IBM) went through this in the 80's and had to reinvent themselves. If IMB decided to try and start penetrating the smaller business arena, again. I could see big problems for the Redmond company.

 

[SIW2]

The way I interpret this is;

Microsoft has decided to not bother with Windows 8.1 any further. It will do only what it must to fix bugs, and slight modifications for ease of use. I see this as an abandonment of Windows 8 entirely.

Yep, they are saving it up for 9. Best thing they could do under the circumstances.

Difficult for them timing wise. They will have to hope the massive shelf presence, promotion, and positioning will help with this Xmas season sales. It probably will.

 

[Phone Man]

@Jimbo

The graph is telling, but predictions are a dime a dozen.

I think Microsoft is running out of options, everything has been heading south for them. Microsoft had built a nice nest egg , but I fear that nest is nearing empty. You simply can't hemorrhage the amounts of money they have without some significant changes. By year's end I think a clearer picture will emerge. Big Blue (IBM) went through this in the 80's and had to reinvent themselves. If IMB decided to try and start penetrating the smaller business arena, again. I could see big problems for the Redmond company.

I think you are very mistaken about Microsoft. They made more money in 2014 then in 2013. Don't look like it is going South to me.



Jim

 

[Mr Sardonicus]

Well, they may not be in the red, or anywhere near being in the red, but they have products out there that are reducing profits. Sometimes, they have to just take a hit and move on. It's smart, at this late stage to start moving away from Windows 8 and start focusing on Windows 9.

 

[Phone Man]

Well, they may not be in the red, or anywhere near being in the red, but they have products out there that are reducing profits.

That's true but here is the growth for the last Quarter. MS must be doing something right.



Jim

 

[Superfly]

Hmmm.. with huge losses on the upgrade offer - seems Windows 9 free as an upgrade just aint gonna happen...

Having said that, however, there may be hidden spin-offs that has resulted in the bullish activity of late..

 

[RBS]

Well, they may not be in the red, or anywhere near being in the red, but they have products out there that are reducing profits.

That's true but here is the growth for the last Quarter. MS must be doing something right.

View attachment 48335

Jim

Well, with all that wealth, than they can certainly afford to give Windows 9 away for free

 

[pparks1]

I would be really shocked to not see Windows 9 as a free upgrade.

#1). Apple is now giving OSX updates away for free
#2). They need to overcome the negative publicity of Windows 8.

So many Windows 8 haters have never actually used it. There are things that I don't like, but they are easy to overcome. Overall, even at work, I prefer using Windows 8 on our laptops over Windows 7. I just use Classic Shell and ensure that no Windows Apps are the default preference for anything.

 

[SIW2]

So many Windows 8 haters have never actually used it

What do you base that on? Unless you mean in the general sense it is selling poorly, therefore people may be rejecting it without having used it much, if at all.

Strange idea. You might say the same about any product that fails.

 

[Saltgrass]

I suppose I see the comments differently. They don't say that will not be doing the updates that would have been included in an "8.2" update, they are just not going to do them all at the same time.

This sort of fits into my thinking Microsoft is moving us toward a Pay as you Go OS.

 

[pparks1]

So many Windows 8 haters have never actually used it

What do you base that on? Unless you mean in the general sense it is selling poorly, therefore people may be rejecting it without having used it much, if at all.

Strange idea. You might say the same about any product that fails.

People I work with. We have a customer support call center. I've heard some of the reps on the phone talking to customers. A few with no Windows 8 experiences have shared with customers that they are not fans of Windows 8. Now that I have moved them over to Windows 8 touch PC's, they have found that it's nowhere near as bad as what they read or what they heard from other people. I even heard one of them discussing with customers that it's nowhere near what he thought it was going to be.

 

[Coke Robot]

So many Windows 8 haters have never actually used it.

STORY OF MY LIFE. :shock:

 

[Coke Robot]

So many Windows 8 haters have never actually used it

What do you base that on? Unless you mean in the general sense it is selling poorly, therefore people may be rejecting it without having used it much, if at all.

Strange idea. You might say the same about any product that fails.

People I work with. We have a customer support call center. I've heard some of the reps on the phone talking to customers. A few with no Windows 8 experiences have shared with customers that they are not fans of Windows 8. Now that I have moved them over to Windows 8 touch PC's, they have found that it's nowhere near as bad as what they read or what they heard from other people. I even heard one of them discussing with customers that it's nowhere near what he thought it was going to be.

I've heard the same personally. An acquaintance of mine was told once by a service rep to not upgrade to Windows 8 because it would run too slow on a Windows 7 desktop PC. Riiiiiight. Another time I was told by someone who hated Windows 8 and would never use it or run it, guy tried it out on his laptop, shut up quicker than a cellar door during a tornado.

When it's set up properly, Windows 8.1 is fantastic to use. I've converted haters to believers on all PCs.

 

[Rxd]

Lol, and every client of mine that has Windows 8 can't stand it. In fact most of the doctors went Mac and the rest returned their Windows 8 pc's and laptops for a Windows 7 machines.

I guess they are all haters also.

Whatever. Windows 8 has been a massive failure and every day we here about more features of a Windows 8 being removed. Adios Charms Bar....

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Marketing people should never have called it Windows 8 -- since it easily rhymes with "Windows you Simply HATE". Marketing needs to be done properly.

I will agree that Windows 8.1 update 1 addresses most of the real problems desktop users have with it - and like most things the biggest proponents against it are those WHO HAVE NEVER USED IT --however people tend to be negative about anything.

I Guarantee if I stood in the middle of La Grand -Place / Grote Markt in the centre of Brussels giving out free GENUINE 50 EURO notes there would be some people finding something to complain about !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Ronster]

I used Windows XP for 12 years and went right to Windows 8.1 (and a new computer) so I don't know much about the problems of Win8. I do know that I like everything about Windows 8.1 compared to XP. I never used the start menu in XP so that made my transition experience enjoyable.