The short answer to this is: Yes. The longer answer is a little more complicated. As with every piece of hardware, software, technology etc., the day the manufacturer/developer pushes it out for general release they are already working on the next update and the next product. This happens due to the way development cycles work and the need for companies to get products to market. In the case of Windows 8 there was a need to put some Band-Aids in place to counter consumer criticism of the product and the ModernUI start screen in particular. Microsoft worked to put something that they felt would placate the naysayers, but still let them continue on the path they wanted for Windows.

Of course as soon as Window 8.1 was ready for release Microsoft would automatically switch to working on the next patch (remember when these were called service packs?). So they are probably working on Windows 8.2 as I am writing this, but it is not likely that we will see this before the end of 2014. Microsoft would be admitting failure on a product that they are claiming is the logical next step in the evolution of the desktop OS. Even the changes they have already made are dangerous to their vision for Windows.

This means that the rumors of Windows 8.2 in early 2014 are most likely false. There could be an enhancement or update pack coming from Microsoft, but not a new version update. If and when that comes it will likely be much later in the year and should include the features that allow their products to be even more intertwined than they are now. This will be the evolution of the one OS to rule them all push from Ballmer and his crew. For the consumer it could mean less on your PC and more in the cloud as Microsoft builds their revenue stream for the future. In many ways this is very sad as Microsoft could have the best of both worlds if they spent a few minutes thinking about it. There are many that the cloud will work great for and those people will be part of the main revenue stream for Microsoft’s vision. For the rest of us (the professionals, enthusiasts and crazies) we want to control our OS and use it the way we want. If you take that away we will find another that will let us do what we want. Microsoft needs to remember this as they work on coding the next update to Windows 8 and they design Windows 9…

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