Last month, Microsoft announced that the latest release of Windows will deliver more rapid and smaller OS updates straight to user’s mobile devices or PCs.
The group’s Unified Update Platform (UUP) encompasses a novel set of technologies that will offer “differential downloads;” that is, OS updates that deliver specifically what the user needs and nothing more. Microsoft is using the analogy of a gaming app to explain how the concept works. If a user downloads an update to an existing gaming app as opposed to downloading the entire game again, the user simply receives the data required to update the game. In the same way, the differential download package will only contain the data related to the changes that have been made since the last update, thereby significantly reducing the download speed and size.
In addition to making updates faster and more efficient, Microsoft will also enhance the logic that underpins the OS update checks. Instead of sending data back and forth, it will place the processing burden on the server, making checks much faster.
Mobile users can also expect to see some positive changes. While new mobile devices have traditionally been delivered at the base build and have required “two hops” to reach the latest release, mobile devices will now behave more like PCs, offering single-hop updates.