14 DAY TRIAL // Work on Windows 8.1 Update 1 continues, but according to some information that reached the web yesterday, Microsoft could officially launch it as soon as April 1.
It turns out, however, that Windows 8.1 Update 1 could reach RTM in March, but the public release would only take place in April, when Microsoft is also expected to release new fixes for its products as part of the Patch Tuesday release cycle.
Windows leaker WZor said in a short tweet that Windows 8.1 Update 1 “will be available in March 2014, while the public release will be April 2014,” but Microsoft has until now refused to comment on these rumors.
The company has recently confirmed that an update for Windows 8.1 is coming this spring in order to make the Modern UI much friendlier for people still using a desktop PC or a laptop without touch.
@MCKLMT The final RTM build (Windows 8.1 2014 Spring Update) will be available in March 2014, the public release will be April, 2014
— WZor (@WZorNET) February 27, 2014
Windows 8.1 Update 1 leaks that have reached the web until now revealed that Microsoft is working on new features to allow users to pin Metro apps to the taskbar and launch them with ease, without the need for accessing the Start screen to do the same thing.
Windows 9, which is reportedly scheduled for an April 2015 debut, could push this feature even further by implementing settings to launch the Metro apps right on the desktop in their separate windows, which means that the Modern UI could soon merge with the desktop in a much smoother way and make specific features available even with a mouse and keyboard configuration.
If the existing rumors are accurate, Windows 8.1 Update 1 should debut on April 8 via Windows Update and it’s going to be offered as a free update to all those already running Windows 8.1.
Redmond is trying to tweak the platform in such a way that it would allow PC makers to install it on smaller devices as well, including 7- and 8-inch tablets. Microsoft is lowering system requirements to 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage space, which means that low-cost devices running Windows 8.1 Update 1 should become more common after the launch of the new OS version.