Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Before we launched Windows 7, we envisioned what the next version of Windows would need to deliver. We made a bet that the PC landscape and industry would undergo a significant transformation driven by an increase in mobility. That bet underscores the changes we made with Windows 8 – it’s a generational leap forward. We built Windows 8 for a world where touch is a first class interaction model, the same as mouse and keyboard; and where there’s a proliferation of innovative and diverse devices that are highly mobile, always on the go and always connected. Windows 8 was built on the reality that the lines between our work and personal lives have blurred.

We’re only a bit more than seven months into this new, bold approach to computing. The response to Windows 8 has been substantial— from new devices to strong app growth to key enhancements to the OS and apps. We’ve learned from customers in how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback. We’ve delivered hundreds of updates to the product and to apps. We’re just getting started, and the potential ahead is tremendous.

Windows 8.1 will advance the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of PCs, tablets, and a range of industry devices, and the experiences customers — both consumers and businesses alike — need and will just expect moving forward. It’s Windows 8 even better. Not only will Windows 8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it will add new features and functionality that advance the touch experience and mobile computing’s potential. Windows 8.1 will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity. Windows 8.1 will also include big bets for business in areas such as management and security – we’ll have more to say on these next week at TechEd North America. Today, I am happy to share a “first look” at Windows 8.1 and outline some of the improvements, enhancements and changes customers will see.


Personalization:

In Windows 8.1, you’ll be able to do more to personalize the experience on your device. As people started using Windows 8, we found that people were using their Locks screens to show pictures of their families. So in Windows 8.1, you can turn your PC or tablet into a picture frame by making your Lock screen a slide show of your pictures – either locally on the device or photos from the cloud in SkyDrive. We also added the ability to take pictures with the built-in camera right from the Lock screen without having to log in.



Windows 8.1 offers more colors and backgrounds for the Start screen – including ones with motion.



You can even choose your desktop background as your Start screen background, creating a greater sense of unity and familiarity. And the Start screen in Windows 8.1 features a variety of tile sizes including a new large and new small tile, so you can organize your Start screen exactly the way you want it. It’s also even easier to name groups and rearrange tiles. You can now select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them. We also found people were accidentally moving tiles on their Start screen so in Windows 8.1, you press and hold (or right click) to move things around.

You can view all apps just by swiping from the bottom to view all apps, and we’ve added the ability to filter your apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. You want the Start screen to be about all the things you love. So when you install a new app from the Windows Store, we no longer put that app on your Start screen. Instead, you’ll find these apps under apps view as mentioned above and marked as “new” where you can choose to pin the apps you want to your Start screen.


Search:

In Windows 8.1, the Search charm will provide global search results powered by Bing in a rich, simple-to-read, aggregated view of many content sources (the web, apps, files, SkyDrive, actions you can take) to provide the best “answer” for your query. We think this will really change the way you interact with the Web and with windows making it quicker and easier to get things done. It is the modern version of the command line!



Quick actions include things you would want to do like play a song or video. Results from local files, apps, and settings are easily accessed in the same convenient view by scrolling to the left.


Apps and Windows Store:

We will be improving all our built in apps that come with Windows 8 for Windows 8.1. For example, the Photos app now has some new editing features that lets you quickly edit or adjust photos when you view them in the Photos app or open them from other places like the Mail, SkyDrive, and Camera apps. And our Music app has been completely redesigned to help pick and play music from your collection. We plan to talk more about updates to the built in apps in Windows 8.1 and some brand new apps we will be introducing in a future blog post.

We’re also making improvements for using multiple apps at once in Windows 8.1.



Windows 8.1 brings variable, continuous size of snap views. You will have more ways to see multiple apps on the screen at the same time. You can resize apps to any size you want, share the screen between two apps, or have up to three apps on each screen if you have a multiple displays connected, you can have different Windows Store apps running on all the displays at the same time and the Start Screen can stay open on one monitor. This makes multi-tasking even easier. Also in Windows 8.1, you can have multiple windows of the same app snapped together – such as two Internet Explorer windows.

The improved Windows Store in Windows 8.1 is designed to show more info than before in Windows 8 with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks for you on the homepage. The app listing is more descriptive and informative and includes an area for related apps to help with app discovery. Categories are listed with other app commands such as links to your apps and your account information. App updates install automatically in the background as well as they come through the Store. And search is available in the upper right hand corner for finding the apps you want.


Cloud Connectivity:

In Windows 8.1 your files can be saved directly to SkyDrive, so you can always have your files with you.


The new SkyDrive app gives you access to your files that are on your device or in the cloud, and files are accessible even when offline.
Also, when you log on to your Windows 8.1 device with your Microsoft account (Outlook.com by default), your device magically becomes personalized with your settings and apps, making switching or setting up a new device really easy.PC Settings:


The updated PC Settings in Windows 8.1 gives you access to all your settings on your device without having to go to the Control Panel on the desktop. You can do things like change your display resolution, set power options, see the make and model of my PC, change the product key, let me do Windows Update, and even join a domain – all from PC Settings. You can even manage SkyDrive from PC Settings as well and see how much available storage you have (and buy more if needed).

Internet Explorer:

Web browsing continues to be one of the most popular activities on any device. That’s why with Windows 8.1, you also get Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). IE11 builds on the advancements in IE10 and is the only browser that is built for touch. IE11 will offer even better touch performance, faster page load times and several other new features we think you will enjoy. For example, you can now adjust the appearance of modern IE11 to always show the address bar and you can have as many open tabs as you like. And you can access your open tabs in sync across your other Windows 8.1 devices.


Better Mouse and Keyboard Options:

PCs today are evolving for a world of mobile computing where people interact with their devices through touch, and we designed Windows 8 for this. But we also recognize there are many non-touch devices in use today – especially in the commercial setting. As such we’ve focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard.
We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start “tip” to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop. There are also options to change what the corners do, and options to boot into alternate screens. For example, if you prefer to see the Apps view versus all the tiles, you can choose to have the Start screen go directly to Apps view.

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These are just some of the updates coming in Windows 8.1. We’ll be blogging more about these and other changes in the coming weeks. As you’ve heard us talk about before, Windows 8.1 will be available later this year as a free update for consumers to Windows 8 through the Windows Store the same way customers get app updates today.
Beginning June 26th, and timed with the start of Build, our developer conference, you will be able to check out these improvements for yourself with a preview of Windows 8.1 that will be released. At Build, we’ll also be sharing more about Windows Embedded, which will be updated in the same timeframe as Windows 8.1. We’re aligning the platforms even more to bring Windows to form factors of all types, including not only tablets and PCs, but also the growing category of devices such as ATMs, point of service (POS) terminals, and kiosks.

Windows 8 has been a bold, necessary move towards mobility for the PC industry – pushing ourselves and our industry ahead with a touch-first approach that is redefining the PC as we know it, while offering the best of all worlds across any device at any time. Our commitment to that vision – and to always improving - remains the same as we stay the course of the evolution of Windows with Windows 8.1. We’ve been watching, we’ve been listening; Windows 8.1 will continue to build on what you love bringing the latest advancements in hardware, apps, cloud services and the OS to enable a unique experience in everything you do.

More to come. Thanks for reading.Antoine Leblond,
Corporate Vice President, Windows Program Management

More...

 

[goodintentions]

It works both ways for the extremists.. There are some that will flame you for any negative comment about Windows 8 and there are those that will go to great lengths to belittle anything positive you might say. There is also some honest criticism posted about issues that may affect one user but not another. There has been some cleanup and banning of members that took it too far. I try to not let it get to me, but nobodies perfect. Consequently I spend less and less time here and hang out more on the Windows 7 forums.

It's not that I am not accepting of people who don't like windows 8. Trust me, I would be the first to support their right to choose. We live in a world of choice. And it's a good thing that we have choices.

But some people exaggerate about their displeasure with windows 8. For example, people continue to talk like there is absolutely no desktop whatsoever.

And then there are those who really hate the metro interface. Here's the thing. There are a couple simple steps they can take that will make the metro interface disappear forever and ever. But no, they won't do this. They will keep trolling the forums exaggerating how much they hate the metro.

What's that saying with how zeus helps those who help themselves?

It's annoying reading the troll posts. Yes, I know I can ignore them. But I've always had a thing for people who exaggerate their negative impressions.

 

[Frank1]

Simply because in my circle, people would ask me. Few if any in my circle would be tablet users, so we are talking desktop users... and I could not, in good conscience recommend something that I find inferior. In each case, I would recommend win8 in conjunction with 'classic shell'.

That'sa very reasonable answer. In your situation I can understand where you arecoming from.

 

[CountMike]

Looks like some of the fears about using multiple apps will be alleviated. Judging by what MS admitted to :
Microsoft officially provides screenshots and details on Windows 8.1 - MajorGeeks
I can just hope that MS realizes that large part of the world will not be able to by apps thru the store due to the lack of ability to pay for them with credit cards etc. For me, in Serbia, at least for now I would have to jump thru the hoops to pay like that, even with PayPall. so it would not be worth the trouble.
The part I like the most is ability to scale tiles for non-metro apps because I have so many programs installed it covers at leas 3 screens and have to scroll a lot to get to them.
Being able to get to the settings easier will be a boon to people trying to help somebody over the phone, for now to do that my phone's battery goes flat just to explain how to get to a particular setting.

 

[alphanumeric]

It works both ways for the extremists.. There are some that will flame you for any negative comment about Windows 8 and there are those that will go to great lengths to belittle anything positive you might say. There is also some honest criticism posted about issues that may affect one user but not another. There has been some cleanup and banning of members that took it too far. I try to not let it get to me, but nobodies perfect. Consequently I spend less and less time here and hang out more on the Windows 7 forums.

It's not that I am not accepting of people who don't like windows 8. Trust me, I would be the first to support their right to choose. We live in a world of choice. And it's a good thing that we have choices.

But some people exaggerate about their displeasure with windows 8. For example, people continue to talk like there is absolutely no desktop whatsoever.

And then there are those who really hate the metro interface. Here's the thing. There are a couple simple steps they can take that will make the metro interface disappear forever and ever. But no, they won't do this. They will keep trolling the forums exaggerating how much they hate the metro.

What's that saying with how zeus helps those who help themselves?

It's annoying reading the troll posts. Yes, I know I can ignore them. But I've always had a thing for people who exaggerate their negative impressions.

I totally agree, I was just pointing out that its not just the haters doing it. There are one or two that I swear are being paid by Microsoft or work for Microsoft that are here just to spin Windows 8 into the greatest thing since sliced bread. They'd have you believe the BSOD is a bonus feature.

 

[goodintentions]

I totally agree, I was just pointing out that its not just the haters doing it. There are one or two that I swear are being paid by Microsoft or work for Microsoft that are here just to spin Windows 8 into the greatest thing since sliced bread. They'd have you believe the BSOD is a bonus feature.

You mean the BSOD isn't a bonus features? If it's not a special bonus feature, how come Bill Gates personally presented it live on CNN?

 

[alphanumeric]

I totally agree, I was just pointing out that its not just the haters doing it. There are one or two that I swear are being paid by Microsoft or work for Microsoft that are here just to spin Windows 8 into the greatest thing since sliced bread. They'd have you believe the BSOD is a bonus feature.

You mean the BSOD isn't a bonus features? If it's not a special bonus feature, how come Bill Gates personally presented it live on CNN?

:thumb:

 

[jaebberwock]

I'm onboard the MS train, one way or another. As an accountant, I have to use Excel and I think it is a wonderful, excellent product that is indispensable and without peer.

I don't have that much criticism of W7. There are some weird quirks I notice or options that are missing that seem obvious to have but nothing that rouses my passion. I liked the OS but I was a silent fan. I never went onboard message boards to espouse my love for W7 or my hatred. I thought it was solid and often wondered to myself what MS could possibly do that would materially improve on W7.

Windows 8 comes along and implements a start screen which, if my short term memory were a chalk board, effectively wipes the board with an eraser and maybe even water and a sponge, as I was tasked to do in elementary school. That, to me, is a deal breaker. Every other improvement is of no consequence when the OS effectively wipes out my focus at the press of a button. Having the Metro apps front and center was important in attracting developer support. MS thought this was more important than giving the end user an option as to the Start interface. They were not confident on the adoption of the Start interface on its own merits and thus, the option removed.

Mouse drivers are inconsistent. My version of Synaptics doesn't over the option to disable the side swipe on the mouse pad that triggered the charm bar. I don't know how many times my palm triggered the charm thing, drove me absolute bonkers and I cursed MS every time it happened.

Touch will be hard pressed to be as efficient as a mouse in a lot of scenarios, especially OS navigation. Why? I can adjust the sensitivity of my mouse. 1" movement can equate 6" on the screen or any other reasonable ratio. Back, forward, left and right wheel click, scrolling, wheel button, all right in the palm of my hand. I can even assign macros to every key with autohotkey. Touch screens, it will be 1:1 movement no matter what. It looks to be superior in 3D manipulations though but I haven't gotten to the point where I'm manipulating Excel cells in 3D space.

So all the above was enough to incite an almost primal rage against MS. It was almost personal in nature, I felt like I was being manhandled and forced into it. Google, Android by association, MS, Adobe, Facebook, all appear to be pushing consumers towards this connected, cloud based ecosystem where we are reliant on systems maintained by the company. Look at Xbox One for crying out loud. Look at the direction they want to move.

So please forgive me if I complain and criticize MS. I will either be forced to abandon MS in the future if they continue in this direction or be like one of those old dinosaurs clinging to XP, but with Windows 7. I don't envy MSs position. They are between a rock and a hard place. It has gotten to the point where the hardware vastly outstrips the needs of most users and the marginal utility from new software decreasing by every version but this is simply the consequence of a mature market.

On the plus side, any hardware I buy today that supports W7 will easily serve my needs till W7 EOL. My only computer at home is an old 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo laptop purchased in 2009, snappier than the i5 Elitebook I was issued with Vista and corporate bloatware/McAffee/keylogger by a long shot.

 

[Wenda]

I'm not all that impressed with, and couldn't care less about most of their 'improvements' to Metro
as I only use it occasionally. I have no interest in any touch-based changes, because I'll never
use it.

But I had hoped that there would be something in this for desktop users.

Apparently not though, all I can discover is that they appear to have ruined File Explorer.

It's looking less and less likely that it'll be worthwhile upgrading from 8, as I really have no
desire to not only have to fix everything I didn't like about 8 again, but even more besides.

Wenda.

EDIT: I'd be willing to bet that an upgrade install would destroy any and all start menu
or start screen customisation that happens to be present.

 

[Coke Robot]

I have to comment on something personally, nope, not being paid by Microsoft and nope, Windows 8 and certain related things aren't as great as I want it to be; just get me started on Xbox Music and Video apps, potentially constricted WinRT development, and Windows Phone 7 marketing among other things. Windows 8.1 is almost LITERALLY Microsoft making Windows 8.1 my idea since some of the things in it like how there might not be a Start thumbnail, but a legit Start icon with the word Start as it was in Windows 8 DP. Using the Desktop background wallpaper was my idea.

Baby tiles and giant tiles were not my idea. But a great idea they are!

Windows 8.1 IS greater than sliced bread.

 

[alphanumeric]

I haven't run any of the leaked builds so I'm only going by what been written on the Internet. As near as I can tell they didn't do desktop users any favors other than the boot to desktop option. If anything they just moved more stuff to Metro. I haven't seen anything there to entice me to want to switch my desktop PC's from 7 to 8. On the other hand the improvements they made to Metro do sound like a step in the right direction. It will be good for those that do use Metro. I run 8 on my laptop and plan on updating it to 8.1 when it hits the store. Other than Slacker Radio and some games I don't run too many Metro Apps. Even still, I welcome any changes to the Metro Start Screen that will make it easier to organize the tiles and get more of them on the screen. The small tiles should be great for stuff like Microsoft Office where all you need is an icon to tell what it is. I love Windows 7, Windows 8, not so much. I've warmed up to it a bit but IMHO it still has a long way to go to be an all around multi device OS. I'm not sure Microsoft has that intent so desktop PC users could end up being left out of the loop. To be honest even with a touch pad the gestures aren't all that much fun. I'm a little disappointed in Microsoft right now but I won't be abandoning ship any time soon. Windows 7 will be supported for years to come and who knows, maybe some of the improvements from 8 will make it into 7 with a SP or 2.

 

[goodintentions]

I haven't run any of the leaked builds so I'm only going by what been written on the Internet. As near as I can tell they didn't do desktop users any favors other than the boot to desktop option. If anything they just moved more stuff to Metro. I haven't seen anything there to entice me to want to switch my desktop PC's from 7 to 8. On the other hand the improvements they made to Metro do sound like a step in the right direction. It will be good for those that do use Metro. I run 8 on my laptop and plan on updating it to 8.1 when it hits the store. Other than Slacker Radio and some games I don't run too many Metro Apps. Even still, I welcome any changes to the Metro Start Screen that will make it easier to organize the tiles and get more of them on the screen. The small tiles should be great for stuff like Microsoft Office where all you need is an icon to tell what it is. I love Windows 7, Windows 8, not so much. I've warmed up to it a bit but IMHO it still has a long way to go to be an all around multi device OS. I'm not sure Microsoft has that intent so desktop PC users could end up being left out of the loop. To be honest even with a touch pad the gestures aren't all that much fun. I'm a little disappointed in Microsoft right now but I won't be abandoning ship any time soon. Windows 7 will be supported for years to come and who knows, maybe some of the improvements from 8 will make it into 7 with a SP or 2.

Someone just donated their old desktop to me. It had 7 on it. At first, I was going to keep 7 on it. But I've been writing an app for engineering students and plan to write more apps for engineers (I'm an engineer with some programming skills). Needed 8 on the desktop, so I upped it to 8.

If you don't do programming for 8, there's really no reason why you should up to 8.