Microsoft has confirmed, through Gabriel Aul, Microsoft’s Vice President of WDG Engineering Systems, that Windows 8.1 RT will get an update called Update 3 in September, but it isn’t Windows 10.
During the showcasing of Windows 10 in January, Microsoft promises a free upgrade path for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and even Windows Phone 8.1. But one of the questions that arose is whether Windows 8.1 RT devices entitled to receive the same update. Even then, it is already apparent than RT PCs might not get Windows 10. As the months progressed, it became more clear that Windows 8.1 RT will be treated just like how Windows Phone 7 is treated when Windows Phone 8 came out — that core OS will be discontinued and will get a consolation Windows Phone 7.8-like update just to keep owners happy.
I happened to be one of the folks who own a Windows 8.1 RT device, particularly the O.G. Microsoft Surface RT. This device, the Surface 2, and possibly all the other Windows RT devices from OEM partners will be getting Windows 8.1 RT Update 3 next month. This news came directly from Gabe Aul in a tweet a couple of weeks ago when asked about the matter.
@jon5798 Windows 8.1 RT Update 3 will be available in September
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) July 15, 2015
What wasn’t clear at the time, is that what features exactly will Update 3 bring to Windows RT. While it won’t be a significant upgrade from Update 2 to warrant the Windows 10 branding, WinBeta managed to obtain from its sources that Microsoft is planning to bring back the Start Menu to Windows 8.1 RT with Update 3. But again, it won’t be quite like Windows 10’s Start Menu.
Windows 10 Technical Preview DirectUI Start Menu
Instead, it is a backport of the DirectUI Start Menu first seen in early Windows 10 Technical Preview builds from October 2014 when it was first released. One of the reason for this is that DirectUI Start Menu was built with Windows 8.1 code and not using any new Windows 10 APIs, making it easier to backport to Windows RT. The current Windows 10 RTM’s Start Menu is built using XAML.
Some might even argue that the DirectUI Start Menu is better than the final Windows 10 Start Menu. It also works well with touch, with the ability to toggle the Start Screen on or off when needed, which is perfect for Windows RT, as it won’t have the windowed app feature like Windows 10. As such, the Continuum / Tablet Mode and the Universal App Platform won’t be coming to Update 3 too, again because these features require Windows 10’s APIs and codes.
In related news, Windows 10 has officially launched in 190 countries, however Microsoft said that it is rolling it out to everyone who have reserved a copy, “in waves”. If you haven’t receive the prompt yet, hang in there as you’ll get the pop-up eventually. That or, download the ISO to run an in-place upgrade manually, or try this workaround.
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