Microsoft is reportedly considering an August launch for the stable version of 8.1

Jun 10, 2013 05:21 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft will officially release the Preview version of Windows 8.1 in just a few weeks at the BUILD developer conference, but the company remains completely tight-lipped on the stable flavor.

Several executives have already confirmed that Windows 8.1 is set to hit RTM later this year, but no other details have been provided till now.

Now a new rumor claims that Windows 8.1 could arrive in August, only one month after the public launch of the preview version.

This means that Microsoft thinks that 30 days should be enough for collecting feedback and resolving any potential issues users could find, as no other beta build is in the pipeline for the time being.

It appears that Microsoft is fully confident that Windows 8.1 is going to be such a good project that it wants to bring it to the market as soon as possible, not only to address previously-reported problems in Windows 8, but also to spawn a new wave of devices.

The tech giant has reportedly worked closer with partners for new laptops, desktop PCs, and tablets running Windows 8.1, some of which are expected to come with smaller displays.

At the same time, Microsoft is also preparing its very own Surface Mini tablet, possibly equipped with an 8-inch screen and running Windows 8.1. The new operating system is said to pack several improvements aimed at smaller devices, so such a device would pretty much make sense.

The upcoming Start screen will be significantly improved to be used in portrait mode on smaller tablets, while the snap view mode will be enhanced to support a 50-50 split screen, as well as a maximum of 4 different Metro apps running at the same time.

As far as the launch date is concerned, expect more Surface plans to be unveiled at the same BUILD developer conference that kicks off June 26.