No Windows 8.1 Update 2 as Microsoft detail the August updates to Windows 8.1

There had been a few rumours that Microsoft were going to release another set of updates for Windows 8.1 that would be called “Update 2” but Microsoft have pored cold water on that. On the Windows blog Microsoft have said that rather than waiting and bundling updates together into one big update they are planning to roll out new features via the monthly Windows Updates.

With the above in mind, 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.” So despite rumors and speculation, we are not planning to deliver a Windows 8.1 “Update2.”

In the post Microsoft have took the unusual step of detailing changes coming in the next patch Tuesday (August 12^th). The updates include improved to touchpad support, there are new settings so you can pick whether the touch pad stays on when a mouse is connected and how the double tap options work.

The other change is that OEMs can implement Micracast receiving on a device so you can beam another PCs display to your device. The APIs are for Intel Windows only, no RT support and it is going to be interesting to see how venders implement the system. I could imagine a PC hooked up to a projected being used host presentations from laptops in a meeting.

Precision touchpad improvements – three new end-user settings have been added: Leave touch pad on when a mouse is connected; allow right-clicks on the touchpad; double-tap and drag.

Miracast Receive – exposes a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) drivers or OEM drivers to develop Windows 32-bit applications that run on all supported x86-based or x64-based versions of Windows 8.1, enabling the computer as a Miracast receiver.

Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online – reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the “Keep me signed in” check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.

The updates will be available via Windows Update next week. More details on the Windows Blog.