News

WPC: OEMs To Get Windows 8.1 in Late August

  • Stay up-to-date on the latest news from WPC here.

PC makers will get access to the final Windows 8.1 code in late August, Microsoft officials confirmed Monday.

Tami Reller, CFO and chief marketing officer of the Windows Division, announced the timing during a keynote at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston.

Windows 8.1 is a substantial upgrade to Windows 8, which shipped in late October 2012. Windows 8.1 will be free for users who already have Windows 8 and will be delivered via download from the Windows Store.

Key new features among the hundreds of changes in Windows 8.1 include a Start button, more flexibility on Start Tile sizes, improved search, tighter integration with the Microsoft SkyDrive cloud storage service and optimization for portrait mode. A consumer preview of Windows 8.1 became available a few weeks ago, during Microsoft's Build conference.

The late-August delivery will make the update available as a download for PCs bought for back-to-school but probably won't give OEMs a chance to build 8.1-optimized machines until the holiday buying period.

Reller did not provide any guidance on timing for general availability of Windows 8.1 in the Windows Store.

More News and Analysis from WPC 2013:

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.