Microsoft Windows 10’s first non-patch update, initially scheduled to be released in October, under the code name of “Threshold 2”, has been pushed back to November, and will contain many of the features included in the current Windows Preview Build, recently issued to insiders.
What we can expect in the way of major updates is not as hefty as what’s being planned for “Redstore”, which is tentatively scheduled for the end of this year, or early next year, which will bring some very big improvements to Windows 10.
A new universal desktop messaging app will be part of Threshold 2, although it’s not clear whether or not it’s meant to work in concert with Skype, or as part of a different service.
Edge extensions might also be coming, as well as performance enhancements. On the topic of extensions, these are not plugins, but merely enhancements designed to expand Microsoft Edge’s functionality, similarly to Google Chrome.
An important change is the fact that, at least according to changes brought by the latest Preview Build 10532, Windows Update will not only pull data from Microsoft’s own servers, but will also be able to request update files from nearby computers within the same network, which is a feature that will likely be standard in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise.
This sort of P2P-based approach allows to keep systems up to date, even when Internet connection is not available, as long as there are computers nearby that have received the latest updates already.
The delay is likely due to Microsoft working on further enhancements towards Windows Update for Business, which will play a major role in mass upgrades of major entities, including Bank of America, which is already in talks to migrate its current infrastructure to Windows 10.