Windows 8.1 will be downloadable from 17th October

by Mark Tyson on 15 August 2013, 04:00

Tags: Windows 8

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Microsoft has named the date for the Windows 8.1 "Blue" availability. The software and devices company said that the digital download version of Windows 8.1 will be available from 17th October at 4am in Redmond, USA (PDT - Pacific Daylight Time). This is 1pm on 17th October in the UK. However New Zealanders still have to basically wait until the 18th October as for them the release time equates to midnight on 17th October.

New larger Start Screen buttons and more personalisation colour options

Windows 8 users will be able to download an update to Windows 8.1 for free at the times mentioned above. Users should check for the update in the Windows Store. Meanwhile the full retail launch of Windows 8 will be on 18th October, in your region, from this date you will be able to pop to the shops and buy a boxed copy Windows 8.1 and devices with Windows 8.1 should also be available to buy.

As Microsoft's hardware partners have to ready devices for the launch date it is expected that they will receive the RTM version of Windows 8.1 by the end of this month.

The new 50:50 multi-tasking split screen option

If you really don't like Windows 8 then the major customer led tweaks coming in 8.1, the new Start Screen button and the boot straight-to-desktop options, might not change your position. The updated OS also brings along with it many new apps, more personalisation options, more screen split multitasking options and file system integration with 'SkyDrive' (will it still be called that on 17th October?). Also a Technet article wrote of a multitude of connectivity and mobility enhancements.



HEXUS Forums :: 11 Comments

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Is the ‘new start screen button’ removable? With keyboard and/or bezel hardware buttons on pretty much everything in existence (and the autohiding ‘button’ hot-corner from 8.0) it's just a waste of space beyond the 5 minutes it takes to learn to push a button.
tell that to the million and one Windows 7 users still crying at the loss of the start button mate ;) - Even with it now back most of them still ain't happy! lol
Can I install it fresh instead of upgrade over the vanilla Windows 8?
I have a CoreSingleLanguage version of OEM Windows 8, I would prefer a fresh install for many reasons.
edzieba
Is the ‘new start screen button’ removable? With keyboard and/or bezel hardware buttons on pretty much everything in existence (and the autohiding ‘button’ hot-corner from 8.0) it's just a waste of space beyond the 5 minutes it takes to learn to push a button.

This… If I can't switch off the start button I will be staying with vanilla for as long as I can, I do not need to go backwards! People should just learn to bloody adapt !
I don't get why this is only available via the Windows store? This will mean a lot of people might miss out. Should have been made available as a regular update. Personally I'm looking forward to the update so I can enable ‘boot to desktop’ as all I ever use Modern UI for is to start Chrome or Steam and I can do that with shortcuts!