Windows 8.1
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Windows 8.1 is a release of the
Windows 8.1 aimed to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch. Enhancements include an improved
Windows 8.1 also added support for then emerging technologies like high-resolution displays, 3D printing, Wi-Fi Direct, and Miracast streaming, as well as the ReFS file system.[8]
Windows 8.1 received more positive reception than Windows 8, with people appreciating the expanded functionality available to apps in comparison to Windows 8, its OneDrive integration, its user interface tweaks, and the addition of expanded tutorials for operating the Windows 8 interface. Despite these improvements, Windows 8.1 was still criticized for not addressing all issues of Windows 8 (such as poor integration between Metro-style apps and the desktop interface), and the potential privacy implications of the expanded use of online services.
Mainstream support for Windows 8.1 ended on January 9, 2018, and extended support ended on January 10, 2023.[9] Mainstream support for the Embedded Industry edition of Windows 8.1 ended on July 10, 2018, and extended support ended on July 11, 2023.
History
In February 2013,
A post-
In early May, press reports announcing the upcoming version in Financial Times and The Economist negatively compared Windows 8 to New Coke.[15][16] The theme was then echoed and debated in the computer press.[17][18][19] Shaw rejected this criticism as "extreme",[20] adding that he saw a comparison with Diet Coke as more appropriate.[21]
On May 14, 2013, Microsoft announced that "Blue" was officially unveiled as Windows 8.1.
Shortly after its release, Windows RT 8.1 was temporarily
It was also found that changes to screen resolution handling on Windows 8.1 resulted in mouse input lag in certain video games that do not use the DirectInput API's—particularly first-person shooter games, including Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Hitman: Absolution, and Metro 2033. Users also found the issues to be more pronounced when using gaming mice with high resolution and/or polling rates. Microsoft released a patch to fix the bug on certain games in November 2013, and acknowledged that it was caused by "changes to mouse-input processing for low-latency interaction scenarios".[37][38]
Update
On April 8, 2014, Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 Update, which included all past updates plus new features.
At the 2014 Build conference, during April, Microsoft's Terry Myerson unveiled further user interface changes for Windows 8.1, including the ability to run Metro-style apps inside desktop windows, and a revised Start menu, which creates a compromise between the Start menu design used by Windows 7 and the Start screen, by combining the application listing in the first column with a second that can be used to display app tiles, whereas Windows 8.0 used a screen hotspot ("hot corner"). Myerson stated that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate further. A distinction is the removal of the tooltip with the preview thumbnail of the Start screen.
Microsoft also unveiled a concept known as "
Distribution
Microsoft markets Windows 8.1 as an "update" for Windows 8, avoiding the term "upgrade".
Retail and OEM copies of
Upgrading through Windows Store requires each machine to download an upgrade package as big as 2–3.6 GB. Unlike the traditional Windows service packs, the standalone installer, which could be downloaded once and installed as many times as needed, requires a Windows 8.1-specific product key.[57] On July 1, 2014, acknowledging difficulties users may have had through the Windows Store update method, Microsoft began to phase in an automatic download process for Windows 8.1.[58]
Windows 8 was re-issued at retail as Windows 8.1 alongside the online upgrade for those who did not currently own a Windows 8 license. Retail copies of Windows 8.1 contain "Full" licenses that can be installed on any computer, regardless of their existing operating system, unlike Windows 8 retail copies, which were only available at retail with upgrade licenses. Microsoft stated that the change was in response to customer feedback, and to allow more flexibility for users. Pricing for the retail copies of Windows 8.1 remained the same.[59]
Windows 8.1 with Bing is a reduced-cost SKU of Windows 8.1 that was introduced by Microsoft in May 2014 in an effort to further encourage the production of low-cost Windows devices, whilst "driving end-user usage of Microsoft Services such as
New and changed features
Many of the changes on Windows 8.1, particularly to the user interface, were made in response to criticisms from early adopters and other critics after the release of Windows 8.[63][64]
User interface and desktop
The Start screen received several enhancements on Windows 8.1, including an extended "All Apps" view with sort modes (accessed by clicking a new down arrow button or swiping upward), small and extra-large sizes for tiles, and colored tiles for desktop program
To improve the usability of the desktop interface, a visible
Windows manager Chaitanya Sareen stated that the restoration of the visible Start button was intended to be a "warm blanket" for users who had become confused by the removal of the button on 8; the Start button was originally removed to reflect Windows 8's treatment of the desktop as an "app" rather than the main interface.[70]
Further interface behavior changes are made on the April 2014 "Windows 8.1 Update", which are oriented towards non-touch environments (such as desktop and laptop PCs) that use a
Apps
The suite of pre-loaded apps bundled with Windows 8 were changed in Windows 8.1; PC Settings was expanded to include options that were previously exclusive to the desktop
Online services and functionality
Windows 8.1 adds tighter integration with several Microsoft-owned services. OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive)[77] is integrated at the system level to sync user settings and files. Files are automatically downloaded in the background when they are accessed from the user's OneDrive folder, unless they are marked to be available offline. By default, only file metadata and thumbnails are stored locally, and reparse points are used to give the appearance of a normal directory structure to provide backwards compatibility. The OneDrive app was updated to include a local file manager. OneDrive use on Windows 8.1 requires that a user's Windows account be linked to a Microsoft account; the previous SkyDrive desktop client (which did not have this requirement) is not supported on Windows 8.1.[78][79][80]
A
Due to Facebook Connect service changes, Facebook support is disabled in all bundled apps effective June 8, 2015.[83]
Security and hardware compatibility
On compatible hardware, Windows 8.1 also features a transparent "device encryption" system based on
For enterprise device management, Windows 8.1 adds support for the Workplace Join feature of Windows Server 2012 R2, which allows users to enroll their own device into corporate networks with finer control over access to resources and security requirements. Windows 8.1 also supports the OMA Device Management specifications. Remote Data Control can be used to remotely wipe specific "corporate" data from Windows 8.1 devices.[75]
The 64-bit variants of Windows 8.1 no longer support processors which do not implement the
Hardware functionality
Windows 8.1 adds support for
Removed features
Windows 8.1 also removes the
Windows 8.1 removed the ability of several Universal Windows Platform apps to act as "hubs" connecting similar services within a single interface:[95]
- The Photos app lost the ability to view photos from Facebook, Flickr or SkyDrive (branded as OneDrive since February 2014). Instead, each service provider is expected to create its own app;
- The app that is not compatible with Facebook Chat;
- The Calendar app can only connect to Microsoft services such as Outlook.com and Microsoft Exchange, with support for Google Calendar removed.
Since October 2016, all future patches are cumulative as with Windows 10; individual patches can no longer be downloaded.[98]
Users can only upgrade their previous version of Windows to Windows 8.1 using the revised installer introduced in Windows 8: they can no longer use setup.exe in the sources folder to upgrade their system.
Reception
Windows 8.1 received more positive reviews than Windows 8. Tom Warren of The Verge still considered the platform to be a "work in progress" due to the number of apps available, the impaired level of capabilities that apps have in comparison to desktop programs, and because he felt that mouse and keyboard navigation was still "awkward". However, he touted many of the major changes on Windows 8.1, such as the expanded snapping functionality, increased Start screen customization, SkyDrive and Bing integration, improvements to stock apps, and particularly he considered the Mail app to be "lightyears ahead" of the original version from 8. He concluded that "Microsoft has achieved a lot within 12 months, even a lot of the additions feel like they should have been there from the very start with Windows 8."[65]
Joel Hruska of ExtremeTech criticized continuing integration problems between the Desktop and apps on Windows 8.1, pointing out examples such as the Photos app, which "still refuses to acknowledge that users might have previous photo directories", and that the Mail app "still can't talk to the desktop—if you try to send an email from the Desktop without another mail client installed, Windows will tell you there's no mail client capable of performing that action." However, he praised the improvements to other apps, such as People and News (pointing out UI improvements, and the News app using proper links when sharing stories, rather than non-standard links that can only be recognized by the app). Although praising the more flexible snapping system, he still pointed out flaws, such as an inability to maintain snap configurations in certain situations. Windows 8.1's search functionality was met with mixed reviews; while noting the Bing integration and updated design, the system was panned for arbitrarily leaving out secondary storage devices from the "Everything" mode.[99]
Peter Bright of Ars Technica praised many of the improvements on Windows 8.1, such as its more "complete" touch interface, the "reasonable" tutorial content, the new autocomplete tools on the on-screen keyboard, software improvements, and the deep SkyDrive integration. However, he felt that the transition between the desktop and apps "still tends to feel a bit disjointed and disconnected" (even though the option to use the desktop wallpaper on the Start screen made it feel more integrated with the desktop interface rather than dissimilar), and that the restoration of the Start button made the two interfaces feel even more inconsistent because of how different it operates between the desktop and apps.[66]
Certain aspects of Windows 8.1 were also cause for concern because of their privacy implications. In his review of Windows 8.1, Joel Hruska noted that Microsoft had deliberately made it harder for users to create a "Local" account that is not tied to a Microsoft account for syncing, as it "[makes] clear that the company really, really, wants you to share everything you do with it, and that's not something an increasing number of people and businesses are comfortable doing."[99] Woody Leonhard of InfoWorld noted that by default Windows 8.1's "Smart Search" system sends search queries and other information to Microsoft, which could be used for targeted advertising. Leonhard considered this to be ironic, given that Microsoft had criticized Google's use of similar tactics with its "Scroogled" advertising campaign.[100]
According to Net Applications, the adoption rate in January 2024 for Windows 8.1 was 1.6%.[101] Windows 8.1 reached a peak adoption rate of 13.12% in June 2015[102] compared with Windows 8 peak adoption rate of 8.02% in September 2013.[103]
See also
- Comparison of operating systems
- History of operating systems
- List of operating systems
- Microsoft Windows version history
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Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-7356-8363-1.
- "Compare Windows 8.1 Editions". Microsoft.com. Microsoft. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.