Windows 8.1 Update 2 coming later this month

Windows 8.1 Update 1 was a big refresh of Microsoft's flagship product and both a cumulative and mandatory update. Unlike it, second Windows 8.1 update will be a minor one and will not be "a must" for those who want to keep their operating system up to date.

According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley's sources, Microsoft will release this software update on August 12. These sources also claim the Redmond giant will treat this as a minor refresh, without any major features added. While the initial plan was to make this a big update, in the end it will probably bring only a few minor interface tweaks and various non-vital fixes.

Microsoft will call this patch "August update" and it will not be followed by a third update later this fall, although some believe new features will be added during this period. Obviously, nothing has been confirmed by the company yet, so all these should be taken with a grain of salt for the time being. 

In the meantime Microsoft will also continue to work on Windows 9/Threshold, the next-gen Windows release which is expected to launch during 2015.