No early copies
It's like a bad movie with no review showing in advance maybe.
They hope to sell a few the first week before everyone posts that it still blows.
Microsoft will unleash Windows 8.1 for world+dog to download in October, it's claimed, a year after it released the touchscreen-friendly, tile-tastic Windows 8. The software giant is preparing to release version 8.1 of its operating system to computer makers later this month, but it has been reported the public will get the …
Running the preview now for over a month. I like the tweaks and feel very comfortable with it.
Bottom line, I think only individuals with some level of aptitude/desire will transition to 8. The fact that one losses WMC by the move to 8 is a bummer IMO and thus makes less of a need to upgrade. It's not a failure as far as I'm concerned. Just that people have a hard time seeing the value it brings. especially when you are forced to have an account to load apps. I don't like the idea of following Apples closed ecosystem and will avoid that altogether.
Overtime, I believe more people with transition, but it will be slow going IMO.
@graeme leggett
It may well be that they are trying to catch the "don't buy until SP1" crowd, and trying to make it sound bigger than it is with ridiculous Apple-esque secrecy/hype.
The thing is, at least I think, is that MS is stuck in this October-or-bust mode to tie in with corporate accounting and budgeting, while trying to say this is all about consumers who in the main have no such constraints. The secrecy/non-technet rubbish is so they can continue to code the release up until release day, as it's likely most upgraders will download (no physical media to press) and those who haven't bought it yet will wait and see if it's going to be good enough for their needs.
Remember, it's only new sales Balmer cares about. Upgrades, no revenue stream there.
But they have removed things (at least in the preview edition) -- like supporting Facebook/Flickr sources in the Photo app.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1_pr-pictures/photos-app-in-81-loses-most-of-its-best-features/24ae3087-e627-4813-a887-49333a0d12dc
Very annoying.
They did not get it even close to right *with* customer feedback. Without customer feedback it is probably hopeless.
I guess this way makes it faster and easier to ignore their customers and what they asked for while they work on something nobody asked for.
Please enter your comments in the line provided (64 character limit).
Windows RT is a complete failure. It may have had potential if 1) there were enough suitable and useful programs for it on launch, rather than about 10 dodgy versions of media player, 2) the version of Office was Metro only* - and the silly restriction about it not being allowed to be used for commercial purposes was revoked.
That and there are Intel Atom machines that cost more or less the same which will run more or less the full range of Windows software within reason. I remember when Microsoft fans kept bashing Linux on netbooks with the claim of unpopularity with consumers (as opposed to XP being desperately wheeled back out by Microsoft to try and kill them off), as they couldn't run their Windows programs on it, and yet now Microsoft has effectively done exactly that.
* No fan of Metro but just as Metro is a bane on the desktop, a crippled desktop with absolutely no other applications are permitted (no idea if simple windows programs like paint / notepad are on there) other than a restricted version of Office is equally useless on a tablet.
This post has been deleted by its author
Remembering that MS were yanking out desktop code just a week before Win8 RTM, it's hard not to wonder what last minute monkey wrenching they have planned this time.
Luckily, by installing into a 32Gb partition it looks like I can't actually apply this update without wasting a whole day resizing partitions. So no temptation to waste time on it.
Microsoft isn't really fixing all the problems users are having, only making some concessions.
The problem is more than what Microsoft is fixing.
I won't be switching to Windows 8.1 because it's too ugly for me. It lacks any sort of draw to me, aside from kernel-level stuff. If Microsoft were to include the kernel improvements, and security enhancements into Windows 7, I'd be far more happy with Microsoft.
It hasn't grown on me. It has made me bitter towards Microsoft and their designers. Bitter is not even a strong-enough word.
I might be in the minority here, but I rather like Windows 8, even the start screen (from what I've seem in the comments, I might be the only person on the planet who likes it :).
Plus my Win8 laptop is lot more stable than any of the Macs and Win 7 systems where I work.
Yes there are a few minor issues, but in general I'm a fan (and I'm on a "traditional" laptop, no fancy rotating touch screens). Quite looking forward to seeing the end result of the "consolidation" in 8.1.