At its Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), Microsoft has announced that Windows 8.1 will RTM (release to manufacturing) in late August. If all goes to plan and it follows a similar trajectory to Windows 8, Windows 8.1 should have a release date in October or November — or, in the words of Brandon LeBlanc, a Microsoft communications manager, “just in time for the holidays!” It seems that, despite the sizable number of bugs in Windows 8.1 Preview, Microsoft is intent on pushing ahead with its new, every-year-instead-of-every-three-years rapid release cycle. Will this approach backfire, or will Microsoft have Windows 8.1 cleaned up in time for August?
Windows 8.1, which introduces support for smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets, and better multi-monitor and mouse-and-keyboard support, is a very important release for Microsoft. Windows 8, in its original form, was really only optimized for 10-inch tablets — and as the last year has shown, except for the iPad, the market is still mostly interested in desktops, laptops, and smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets. As a result, Windows 8 has really struggled to find its footing, and has understandably flopped. By allowing OEMs to produce low-res and small-screen tablets, and making the Desktop experience a lot less painful, Microsoft hopes that Windows 8.1 can finally drive widescale adoption.
Considering the amount of bugs in the Windows 8.1 Preview, though, an RTM at the end of August might be a little presumptuous. From lock screen bugs, to the Windows Store and Internet Explorer not working, to Desktop icons being immovable, Windows 8.1 feels buggier than Windows 8. As you can see in our hands-on review of Windows 8.1 below, there’s also a nasty bug that causes the “search everything” feature to hang for a few seconds — a big issue, when this is one of the main features being offered as an olive branch to mouse-and-keyboard Desktop users.
Windows 8 was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, and was released to the public on October 26. Windows 8.1 will RTM “in late August,” and so presumably general availability might be pushed back to November. The fact that Windows 8.1 will be released through the Windows Store, rather than as a separate installer, might also affect the release schedule. From our own industry sources, we’ve heard that there should be a large number of interesting devices available at Windows 8.1′s launch — most excitingly, some Bay Trail-powered 7- and 8-inch tablets. For existing users of Windows 8 and Windows RT, Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade — and for RT users, that should mean the inclusion of the new Outlook RT app.
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