Microsoft puts Windows 10 updates on a diet

Microsoft has rolled out a preview version of its next-generation update technology for Windows 10 dubbed the unified update platform (UUP).

Early adopters who've elected to be part of the Windows Insider program will get UUP first, Microsoft executive Bill Karagounis said today.

As UUP uses differential downloads that contain only the changes that have been made since the last update, users can expect a size reduction for the software packages of around a third.

UUP also shifts more of the checking and processing of which updates are needed to the Windows Update service, in order to speed up and optimise the process.

Karagounis said Microsoft has updated 400 million devices running Windows 10 to date, with new Insider builds of the operating system being released almost every week.

The increased frequency of updates is the main reason for developing UUP, Karagounis said. Apart from taking less time to download, the differential updates require smaller amounts of processing power on users' systems, which helps improve battery life on their devices.

No date was given by Microsoft for when UUP will hit the mainstream builds of Windows 10.

Karagounis said it should appear after the Windows 10 Creators Update, scheduled to be released in 2017.