Posted by Phil Moore on Jun 26, 2013 in News, Tech |
Microsoft has confirmed its intent to deliver the Windows 8.1 update for free to existing Windows 8 users later this summer in an attempt to revise various aspects of its latest operating system which have triggered complaints from longtime users of the Windows interface. The company also confirmed that Windows 8.1 will in fact officially go by that name, after having been referred to informally by the Windows Blue code name for some time. But while the zero dollar price tag of Windows 8.1 will sit well with frustrated customers, is the interface patch too little to late?
The question of timing is a head scratcher, as it’s still springtime, and summer doesn’t technically start for another five weeks. The company’s reference to “later this summer” could either mean later this year, in the summer, or it could mean late summer. With that season not ending until late September according to the calendar, Microsoft is leaving the door open as to the timeframe for the free Windows 8.1 release.
Customers and PC vendors are looking for Windows 8.1 to arrive sooner rather than later. Large numbers of PC users are putting off new hardware purchases in order to avoid the maligned new operating system which comes on it, amid a spike in aftermarket sales of used PC laptops capable of running the older Windows 7, which many users say they prefer. But coding a major interface overhaul of an entire operating system takes time, so Windows 8.1 won’t arrive until Microsoft can get it fully coded and finished. That’s the kind of time which Steve Ballmer and company may not have on its side as the negative reputation of Windows 8 among the computing public continues to cement itself with each passing month.
Phil covers tech for Stabley Times.
Microsoft has confirmed its intent to deliver the Windows 8.1 update for free to existing Windows 8 users later this summer in an attempt to revise various aspects of its latest operating system which have triggered complaints from longtime users of the Windows interface. The company also confirmed that Windows 8.1 will in fact officially go by that name, after having been referred to informally by the Windows Blue code name for some time. But while the zero dollar price tag of Windows 8.1 will sit well with frustrated customers, is the interface patch too little to late?
The question of timing is a head scratcher, as it’s still springtime, and summer doesn’t technically start for another five weeks. The company’s reference to “later this summer” could either mean later this year, in the summer, or it could mean late summer. With that season not ending until late September according to the calendar, Microsoft is leaving the door open as to the timeframe for the free Windows 8.1 release.
Customers and PC vendors are looking for Windows 8.1 to arrive sooner rather than later. Large numbers of PC users are putting off new hardware purchases in order to avoid the maligned new operating system which comes on it, amid a spike in aftermarket sales of used PC laptops capable of running the older Windows 7, which many users say they prefer. But coding a major interface overhaul of an entire operating system takes time, so Windows 8.1 won’t arrive until Microsoft can get it fully coded and finished. That’s the kind of time which Steve Ballmer and company may not have on its side as the negative reputation of Windows 8 among the computing public continues to cement itself with each passing month.
Phil covers tech for Stabley Times.