Windows 10 Update 'Threshold 2' Rumor Roundup: No Edge Extensions, November Launch

"Threshold 2" is coming, and it's going to be big. The first major update to Windows 10 has been known by its codename during development, but Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott wrote on Wednesday that a "trusted source" speaking to him has revealed the launch name, along with other tidbits and what to expect.

In true Microsoft fashion, Thurrott claims the company will call the update "Windows 10 Fall Update." The snappily-titled release will be made available to Windows 10 users through the Windows Update system, requiring no previous updates and no re-activation of existing copies.

When will it launch? Thurrott claims the update will launch in November, while on Thursday Tom Warren at The Verge reported that the update will be coming in early November, likely during the first week of the month. Thurrott reports that this will be reflected in the name as it appears on Windows Update: "Windows 10 November 2015." Zac Bowden at WinBeta, citing sources, claimed on Thursday that the update will launch on November 2.

Unfortunately, despite previous reports that the update would bring Edge extensions, Thurrott, Warren and Bowden are reporting that the anticipated functionality for Microsoft's new browser won't be included this time around. However, there will still be some tweaks to Edge's functionality in the update, and Microsoft isn't standing still on Edge development.

There are some exciting changes coming, however. Warren reports that Cortana will receive an update that will allow Windows 10 phone owners to send texts to friends from their PC, in a similar fashion to Continuity with Apple's products. This will work through either typing or speaking to Cortana, and while it is limited to Windows 10 devices for now, Cortana on Android and iOS could mean this gets expanded out later.

The update is also reported to include a new Skype messaging app, more locales than before, and more Live Tiles in the start menu. The latter feature will demonstrate the new, modular design of Windows the company has touted as a method of changing core components of Windows 10 without needing to install a whole new operating system and cause major workflow disruptions.

But what about Edge extensions, when will they launch? Warren claims they have been pushed back to next year, and one likely candidate for their inclusion would be "Redstone," the first major Windows 10 update in a second wave of updates scheduled to start next year. Bowden claimed on Tuesday that this is indeed the plan, with the feature launching as part of Redstone in summer 2016.