Windows 8.1 Saves the Day?

Today reliable information was leaked throughout the tech world that the official release of Windows 8.1 was only days away. For us early adopters of Windows 8 this is a good news. Windows 8.1 Preview has been around for about 6 weeks or so and I have been using it on a couple of my computers. Although it addresses some issues like getting our start button back, well kind of sort of,  I found the 8.1 Preview to be inconsistent between my various computers. I have one Acer laptop that simply refused to access my email through the Windows mail app once the upgrade was completed.  The Acer struggled in various ways to such a degree that I restored it back to the original Windows 8. Meanwhile my Surface Pro had not problems with the 8.1 Preview and has been working quite nicely with it.

This is all to be expected from any "preview" version so much like the NFL Pre Season which is also upon us you can not get to concerned or upset when using these "public betas".

The changes in 8.1 are clearly designed to improve the discoverability of features in Windows 8.1 and address some of the loudest complaints, like the missing start button, very limited help features and work place usage.

Alongside the context menu changes, Microsoft also displays tips within the built-in apps that direct users to swipe and access the Charms. None of these changes were present in the Preview version of Windows 8.1, and Microsoft has also created a Help + Tips app that includes a variety of video tutorials for navigating the OS, accessing files, basic actions, and settings.

Oh and did I mention that there is a start up button and administrators can set Windows to boot straight to the desktop which are also both welcome additions.

The upgrade to 8.1 is free and will be available through the Windows 8 Store soon!