Windows 8.1 Update Unveiled With Key Improvements, Release Date Set For April 8

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), on Wednesday, unveiled its upcoming Windows 8.1 update, which will bring new features and improvements to the company’s desktop operating system when it will be made available to the public on April 8.

According to a report from The Verge, Microsoft tried to implement too many changes to the Windows platform while forgetting that a huge number of users still use a desktop PC or a laptop. After admitting that “we did a little too much too quickly, and we didn’t do enough for the mouse,” Microsoft is now trying to make amends with the new Windows 8.1 update, the report said.

“The Windows 8.1 Update delivers a collection of refinements designed to give people a more familiar and convenient experience across touch, keyboard and mouse inputs,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “It also brings improvements for business customers, really accelerates opportunity for developers, and enables device makers to offer lower cost devices.”

As part of the new update, users will find the Power and Search buttons at the upper-right corner, next to their account picture on the Start screen. Users will also be able to boot to desktop as the default setting and can pin both desktop apps and apps from the Windows Store on to the taskbar.

In addition, users can also access the taskbar from anywhere while using a mouse. The task bar can be seen on any screen by moving the mouse to the bottom edge of the screen.

“We’ve made it so your mouse works more consistently anywhere in Windows. If you move your mouse to the top of the screen when using a Windows Store app, you will see the familiar Close and Minimize buttons,” Microsoft said.

On the Start screen, a right-click on an app will bring up a context menu next to the app title, showing options to unpin from Start, pin to the taskbar, change the tile size and uninstall the app.

The traditional Start menu is also said to be coming back to Windows, but not in the upcoming Windows 8.1 update. According to Microsoft, it will reintroduce the Start menu in a future update.

The Windows 8.1 Update is available for Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers while the company will begin to roll out the software for free to Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 customers via Windows Update on April 8.

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