14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8.1 Update will be officially released to users worldwide in just a few hours, so it’s no surprise that so many Windows 8.1 users are very excited and hitting the “Check Now” button in Windows Update so often.
Microsoft will, however, release the new Windows 8.1 Update later today together with the other fixes and security improvements usually included in its Patch Tuesday rollout, which means that you’ll get plenty of files that could take a while before they download and install on your computer.
As you probably know by now, Windows 8.1 Update comes with options specifically aimed at the traditional desktop computer, including the possibility to pin Metro apps to the taskbar and a title bar for Modern tools which can be now closed and minimized with a mouse.
The Start screen has been refreshed with a search box and power controls, again in an attempt to make the Modern UI mouse-friendly, while the PC settings screen has a shortcut that gets users straight to the desktop Control Panel.
The photo gallery you can find below shows you the main improvements in Windows 8.1 Update which should be later available on all computers running Windows 8.1. If you haven’t heard it already, Windows 8.1 Update will be a must-have for Windows 8.1 users, so in case you don’t want to install it, your computer will no longer receive updates and other security patches after May 2014.
Windows 8.1 Update is just another sign that Microsoft is working to tweak some of the changes it made to Windows 8 in order to better tackle the PC industry and appeal to those still relying on a mouse and keyboard as the main input method.
“The Windows 8.1 Update delivers a collection of refinements designed to give people a more familiar and convenient experience across touch, keyboard and mouse inputs. It also brings improvements for business customers, really accelerates opportunity for developers, and enables device makers to offer lower cost devices,” the company said last week after launching Windows 8.1 Update at the BUILD 2014 developer conference.
The software giant is expected to continue the same path with more improvements in the coming months and the company could even bring back the Start menu. Options to run Metro apps in their own windows right on the desktop are also expected to make their way to the modern operating system sometime in the near future.
