Microsoft seeks redemption as Windows 8.1 released

Life

17 October 2013

Windows 8.1 is finally here and with it Microsoft’s hopes of a second act for its flagship operating system.

Windows 8, launched just under a year ago, was a bold attempt to propel the OS into the tablet market but it fell short of that extremely important goal. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are still the dominant tablet OSs, and Windows remains a minor player.

The main complaints aimed at Windows 8 are well known by now. The removal of the Start button freaked out millions of users. The radically altered Modern (Metro) interface, with its touch-optimised live tiles, was considered confusing and unsuitable for mice and keyboards. The toggling between the new interface and the more traditional Windows 7-like desktop felt clunky to many. People were peeved they couldn’t boot directly to this traditional desktop interface, which lets Windows 8 run legacy applications.

These and other complaints have been addressed in Windows 8.1, which is availble now via download from the Windows Store. It will be for sale tomorrow in retail outlets as a standalone packaged DVD and in new PCs and tablets.

Windows RT – the version for ARM-based devices – fared worse than the regular version of Windows 8 for x86 chips, and it’s also getting updated to an 8.1 version. Broadly rejected by buyers and PC makers, the future of Windows RT is very much in question.

Today, Microsoft will launch an eight-day contest for people who tweet an image of their updated Windows 8.1 Start screen and use the hashtag #MyStart.

Microsoft will also host a question-and-answer chat on Reddit in which several of its engineers will participate. It will run from 6:30pm until 8pm That will be followed by a Twitter chat from 8-9pm identified by the hashtag #winchat.

A Windows Store redesign will be unveiled on Thursday and will feature personalised recommendations, automatic updating of installed apps and a new section called New & Rising that will display prominently apps that are new and popular.

IDG News Service

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