14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will arrive this spring with plenty of desktop improvements, but the company has also reiterated support for touch devices, which will continue to receive updates in the coming years.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said in a statement at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona that Windows 8.1 Update 1 is indeed supposed to make the modern platform easier to use on desktop computers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that touch will be forgotten entirely.
“We have a number of targeted UI improvements that keep our highly satisfying touch experience intact, but that make the UI more familiar and more convenient for users with mouse/keyboard. Don’t worry, we still LOVE and BELIEVE IN touch… but you’ll like how much more smooth and convenient these changes make mouse and keyboard use!” he explained.
“We bet on touch and on mobility in a big way, and included a fresh take on what a touch-based interface could be for customers. We believe deeply in this direction and the future will continue to build on Windows 8.”
Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system came with several tweaks for touch devices, including a brand new Modern UI that helped the platform launch on tablets and thus tackle an unexplored side of the market at that time.
A UX designer working for Microsoft recently revealed that Redmond decided to make the Start screen (often considered as a feature that’s more appropriate for the touch) default on all Windows 8 devices because it needed users to discover it, so the company can now start tweaking it and even implement options to allow consumers to skip it.
At the same time, Microsoft is also working to bring more and smaller tablets to the market, with people familiar with the matter saying that the company is preparing its own 8-inch device to be launched this year.