Microsoft is currently working on a feature pack update for Windows 8, codenamed Blue, that’s expected sometime this summer or fall. This isn’t the first time we have heard about Blue as early rumors suggested it could be the follow-up operating system to Windows 8 but now, we’re hearing a different plan courtesy of Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet.
The journalist claims a trusted source told her that Blue not only represents updates to Windows 8 but instead, all Windows Phone, Windows Services (think SkyDrive, Hotmail, etc.), and Windows RT updates. That of course doesn’t mean that all platforms will see simultaneous updates but they will probably be ready around the same time. We can, however, expect to see yearly updates to each platform.
For Windows, Blue represents a major shift in the way Microsoft has been doing things for years. Foley points out that instead of Microsoft releasing a RTM every three or four years and hoping OEMs have time to get everything tested for a new release months later, Redmond wants to get the OS out much faster. Her source said they could possibly use the Windows Store to do so.
In the interim, users can expect to see the same old minor updates released as they are ready. Things like firmware updates and bug fixes all fall under this umbrella, including the Windows Phone update known as Portico that’s already installed on some handsets.
https://www.techspot.com/news/51577-microsoft-blue-to-encompass-windows-8-phone-services-and-rt.html
