Windows 8.1 Update 2 release date rumoured to be 12 August

The second update for Windows 8.1 is reportedly set for release on 12 August, which will be the same date as next month's Microsoft Patch Tuesday.

The claim was made on Russian site PCPortal.org.ru and, while this has yet to be officially confirmed, it fits in with the previously predicted release date of either August or September.

The second update to Windows 8.1 was announced at the Microsoft annual WPC event in July, where it was revealed that it would be available for free to Windows users with Update 1 already installed, and for a low price to those running an earlier version of the operating system. It will also come pre-installed on computers following its initial release.

Those eagerly awaiting the teased return of the Start Button will most likely have to wait until Windows 9 arrives in 2015, but it could yet be included with Windows 8.1 Update 3.

A recently revealed third update to Windows 8.1 has pushed the release date of Windows' next big iteration back from spring 2015 to sometime in June, with rumours around this being the result of decisions from the Chinese government to ban Windows 8 on government computers also circulating.

Microsoft has been experiencing significant problems with leaks of test builds for Windows lately, leading them to make many internal changes such as restricting access to servers and individually assembled test builds further to help identify the source.

Although Update 2 will reportedly be arriving next month, not much is currently known about it at this time, yet both Update 2 and 3 are expected to address many of the problems users have had with Windows 8.1 since its release.

Reports suggest that Windows 9 Enterprise could offer users the ability to disable the OS' Metro interface for the first time, and cloud integration would be removed from the eventual release of Windows 9.