Rapidly following the release of Visual Studio 2013 last month, Microsoft has prepared the first release candidate. Formally titled VS2013 Update 1 RC, this package is primarily contains a set of bug fixes. This release does contain a “go-live” license so from a licensing perspective it is safe to use in production environments.
This update includes a key improvement that will benefit many users unable or unwilling to run Internet Explorer 10: support for systems running IE 9. Remaining fixes include targetting the debugger, C++ development, and Visual Studio Test. Full details are contained in the release notes.
Microsoft's Brian Harry states that a larger update containing new and/or expanded features is scheduled for the first half of 2014. From additional comments made by Harry, this update will be formally released at the time a preview of the second is available. Official release dates have not been set for either option.