Update: If you are interested in giving this update a try, you can download it now from our Download Section.
Intel chief Paul Otellini may have ruffled a few feathers last month when he told a group of employees during a company event that Microsoft was releasing Windows 8 before it was fully ready. He went on to suggest the OS still needed improvements but felt that Redmond was making the right move by releasing it on schedule.
Perhaps Otellini might have been on to something after all as Microsoft released an update for Windows 8 earlier today ahead of its general consumer launch. Known as the Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 General Availability Cumulative Update, the patch includes fixes for a handful of bugs that have since surfaced following RTM status on August 1.
The update also delivers increased power efficiency to extend battery life in mobile devices, improved audio and video playback in several scenarios, better application and driver compatibility and general performance improvements for applications and the Start screen.
The post-RTM patch will initially only be available to MSDN subscribers and enterprise users. The general public will have to wait until the OS' official launch on October 26 to get what Microsoft considers the first real service pack.
Microsoft is also planning to continue the usual "Patch Tuesday" update cycle with Windows 8. Under this schedule, the company releases a series of updates on the first Tuesday of every month. It's reassuring to know that Microsoft will continue this tradition with the new operating system as many grown accustomed to it.