Microsoft won't wait for Blue to update Windows 8 core apps

From CNET News.com: There's been some worry that Microsoft's Windows team may be waiting until the "Blue" upgrade to Windows 8 and Windows RT to refresh the Microsoft-developed, first-party apps that are bundled with the operating system.

I'm hearing from my contacts that this is not the case. In fact, updates to the Windows Mail, Calendar, Music, and Games apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT may be available to users as soon as this month.

Microsoft officials aren't commenting on this bit of information that I received from one of my contacts who has been dead-on about Blue (so far). Blue is the code name for the operating system refresh for Windows 8 and Windows RT -- as well as a number of other Microsoft products -- that is under development and supposedly set to be released to users this summer.

Microsoft officials have acknowledged publicly that the Windows team is aware that the first-party apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT have room for improvement. Many users have been especially disappointed in the Mail and Music apps for the product, claiming they feel more like betas than full-featured, polished products. Many of us Windows 8/Windows RT users feel that even though they're free, these apps -- developed by the Windows team -- just aren't very good. (The Windows 8/Windows RT apps built by the Bing AppEx team, by contrast, are quite solid and usable.)

Microsoft made some changes to its built-in first-party apps between the time Windows 8/Windows RT were released to manufacturing (August 1, 2012) and when they went on sale (October 26, 2012). While minor refreshes have come to the Xbox Music app for Windows 8, not much else has happened on the built-in app front.

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