14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8.1 is expected to receive a major update this year, most likely in April, but the software giant does a terrific job by doing everything about the new release completely secret.
And still, Wzor, who has until now leaked several Microsoft products and provided inside information regarding a number of new projects, claims that Redmond is getting ready to send the new build, presumably called Windows 8.1 2014 Update, to partners sometime next week.
This means that the update could be leaked soon after January 14, Wzor explains, pretty much because Microsoft treats the updates almost as a full release and ships it for testing before eventually reaching RTM.
At the same time, Wzor has also published some screenshots showing the new Windows 8.1 2014 Update in action, but no major visual changes can actually be spotted right now. The update will obviously be offered for free and can reportedly be installed using Windows 8.1 RTM keys.
Of course, nothing is confirmed so far so take the report with a pinch of salt until we really get our hands of the first update for Windows 8.1.
Microsoft is expected to officially unveil the new Windows 8.1 update later this year at the BUILD developer conference which is scheduled for April. As a result, the timing pretty much makes sense, as OEMs would have approximately three months to try out the update before the company makes it public.
It’s not yet clear whether Windows 8.1 2014 Update would be offered as a free download from the store or just like any other regular patch via Windows Update.
It’s obviously expected to bring quite a lot of changes to Windows 8.1, including several new features that are yet to be disclosed by either Microsoft or sources close to the matter.