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Microsoft reportedly planning 'Threshold' wave of Windows updates for spring 2015

Microsoft reportedly planning 'Threshold' wave of Windows updates for spring 2015

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Microsoft plans to release a wave of updates for Windows, Windows Phone, and the Xbox One operating system in Spring 2015, according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley. The updates (which shouldn't be confused with an all-new version of Windows) are aimed at bringing Microsoft's software platforms closer together. Codenamed "Threshold" — and named after a planet in the Halo universe — Foley says these updates will enable Microsoft to support the same "high-value activities" across all Windows devices.

Departing CEO Steve Ballmer touched on this movement in his final shareholder letter last month. "Microsoft will enable these types of high-value activities with a family of devices — from both Microsoft and our partners — as well as with our services," he wrote. It's also in keeping with the "One Microsoft" plan Ballmer outlined after Microsoft announced a major company-wide reorganization.

But Microsoft's customers can expect to see updates long before the "Threshold" wave arrives. The company is still working on its next significant revision of Windows Phone, codenamed Blue, which is also intended to deepen integration and support between Microsoft services. Foley says that the first major update for Windows 8.1 is expected to be released in a similar time frame sometime in the second quarter of 2014.