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Windows 8.1 released to MS hardware partners

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 28 Aug 2013
Windows 8.1 will be available to consumers from 17 October.
Windows 8.1 will be available to consumers from 17 October.

Microsoft has started releasing Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 to its hardware partners, just 10 months after releasing Windows 8.

According to the Microsoft blog, Windows 8.1 is a "significant update" thanks to customer feedback and collaboration across product teams.

"We have delivered in a very short time an update to the OS that will bring an even greater unified experience for our customers," says the computing giant. "In the past, the release to manufacturing milestone traditionally meant that the software was ready for broader customer use. However, it's clear that times have changed, with shifts to greater mobility and touch as well as the blurring of work and personal lives."

As such, the company says it has decided to work closer with its hardware partners than ever before. "Our hardware partners are in a position to prepare the wide array of innovative devices our customers can expect [in a few weeks]. While our partners are preparing these exciting new devices, we will continue to work closely with them as we put the finishing touches on Windows 8.1 to ensure a quality experience at general availability."

Two weeks ago, Microsoft announced that from 17 October, Windows 8.1 will be broadly available for commercial customers with or without volume licensing agreements, its broad partner ecosystem, subscribers to MSDN and TechNet, and consumers.

The upgraded version is expected to bring improvements in areas like personalisation, Internet Explorer 11, new built-in apps, and cloud connectivity with SkyDrive. When looking at hardware, the company says new Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 tablets and PCs will offer advances in screens, battery life, and performance.

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