Microsoft: First Release of Windows 8.1 Will Be in June
Public preview is just around the corner.
Microsoft has confirmed that it will release a public preview of Windows 8.1, also known as Windows Blue, next month. ZDNet cites head of Windows engineering, Julie Larson-Green, who made the revelation at the Wired Business Conference earlier today, as saying Windows Blue will be released as a public preview at the end of June. The preview ill be available to Windows 8 users via the Windows Store.
The news follows hot on the heels of a Q&A post regarding the first six months of Windows 8. The post, published this morning, includes a brief mention of Windows Blue by Microsoft's Tami Reller. Reller described Windows Blue as part of a broader effort to advance devices and services for Microsoft. She also revealed that the update will be available later this year, will continue on Windows 8's path toward the next generation of PC and incorporate customer feedback.
Though Reller said Microsoft is taking customer feedback into account, we still don't have any final word on whether the Start button has found its way back into the mix after being dropped in Windows 8. It hasn't been ruled out, but Microsoft hasn't confirmed it either. We do know that Microsoft is working to bring Windows 8 to a broader array form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance, as Reller mentioned earlier, but we'll have to wait a few weeks to see the final product.

Shills, shills everywhere.. (Or at least, there is certainly a huge change in opinion, and only, it seems, on reports specifically dealing with Windows 8).
Windows 8 has a 3.1% Market Share as of April 4th. Six months after release Windows 7 had 10.4%, Vista had 5.2%.
The problem is multi-fold. People on the one hand, hate that MS took our choice away. I think that is what annoys most power users. If MS had given us the option of one or the other, then there would be no anger over this issue. On the other hand, traditional MS fans hate the fact that MS is alienating the 80 percent of casual users who are lost in W8. I have a friend is not good with computers and she described W8 as a "place you go full of squares that you can't get out of.".. .... sadly that is how many casual users see it and it confirms to them, in their minds, that they should have bought an Apple product. To suggest that this opinion is not real is to ignore hard consumer data which shows computer sales down significantly. Either way MS has made a dumb decision which has alienated its customer base and which has significantly hurt the PC industry. MS needs to admit the error and fix it ASAP.
Yes you can. Use Start8 or RetroUI
Wait, what do you mean by old? XP style? 98 style? Probably not but I'm not saying it's impossible. Maybe a deluxe Stardock product can do that
But to those who say that the start screen is great and everybody else just has to "get used to it", remember this: CHOICE is =).
Best thing I've heard anyone not on a forum say about 8 is that "under-the-hood improvements are worth it, but the UI is stupid", or something along those lines. And I suspect a lot of the under-the-hood bit came from the SSHD he installed it on...
Because promotes so inv/pervasively a Windows 1 GUI with built in adware and severe sandboxing limitations, saying it is the future in any technical and commercial event, removing developers' ability to chose the distribution channel/model they prefer as it was in Win32 (I say WAS because it is MS itself stressing the fact RT is meant to supersede Win32, saying the desktop and its software is just another tile, and calling it legacy all the way).
MS, if you have guts do a little test: do the opposite and bury Metro under the desktop and let who really wants to use it to fire its link on the desktop.
BUT, I do care a lot about going back to the desktop when I press the start button while viewing the start screen, and about booting straight to the desktop.
EDIT: Oh, and yes shutting down and rebooting needs to be made much faster.
I do want a clear and precise task manager except from the pre-buildt one. I probably make no sense
Maybe it's just me beeing to demanding, i do desire structure. Especially if i have to roll this out to tons of users that will make my day hell
The problem is multi-fold. People on the one hand, hate that MS took our choice away. I think that is what annoys most power users. If MS had given us the option of one or the other, then there would be no anger over this issue. On the other hand, traditional MS fans hate the fact that MS is alienating the 80 percent of casual users who are lost in W8. I have a friend is not good with computers and she described W8 as a "place you go full of squares that you can't get out of.".. .... sadly that is how many casual users see it and it confirms to them, in their minds, that they should have bought an Apple product. To suggest that this opinion is not real is to ignore hard consumer data which shows computer sales down significantly. Either way MS has made a dumb decision which has alienated its customer base and which has significantly hurt the PC industry. MS needs to admit the error and fix it ASAP.
Well I may be a minority but I think Win8 is awesome and has a lot of features that would appeal to the casual user in my humble opinion. I think it was time for a change and in the end once you get over the initial learning curve (maybe watch the demo when installing it or something) then it becomes very easy to use and becomes an enjoyment. Win8 does things Win7 or earlier version just don't do. Using a mouse and keyboard is no problem at all.
I've been using computers since the early 80's and I have seen many changes and used many different systems as a 'USER' and even did some programing on my Commodore 128. Maybe I know more than the average user but I don't really think so. The media is what killed it if you ask me and you didn't so whatever. I like it and I guess in the end that is all that really matters.