Whether you use a Mac or a PC is obviously a matter of preference, but it's not unheard of for some people to want to use one platform but have the interface look like the other. Skinning Windows to look more like a Mac is something that has been done for years, and with each new version of both OS X and Windows, these tools have had to adapt.
A couple of weeks back during Microsoft's annual BUILD developers conference, we got wind that the software giant would be reinstating the traditional Start Menu for those running desktop versions of the famed OS. At the very least, it was said, the option would be there for traditionalists looking to restore a sense of familiarity to proceedings, and although we knew that it wouldn't be arriving with the just-released Windows 8.1 Update 1, it seemed almost certain that a subsequent release would reinstate one of the operating system's longest-serving features. Now, a new report has indicated that said feature will indeed re-emerge this fall.
Microsoft finally released its long-awaited update to the Windows 8.1 operating system on Tuesday, and while the original Windows 8 build was very much focused around the touch-based future of the OS, Windows 8.1 Update 1 has brought quite a few optimizations for those on the traditional desktop. As has been discussed quite a lot during the past couple of days, Windows 8.1 Update 1 makes it much easer for keyboard and mouse users to navigate their way around, and to help ease consumers into the new software, Microsoft has released a series of walkthrough videos.
Yesterday at BUILD, Microsoft unveiled several new updates to its software range, and as well as finally taking the wraps off Windows Phone 8.1, the software giant also dropped Windows 8.1 Update 1, with a clear emphasis on improving the experience for desktop users. Today it has emerged that folks tethered to the MSDN developer program can download the ISO image of the new build right now, ahead of the official, Windows Store end-user release scheduled for next Tuesday.
As well as taking the wraps off Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft today took to the stage at BUILD 2014 to announce the Windows 8.1 Update 1. Although not as feature-packed an update as the mobile edition, it still offers plenty of handsome improvements, and we've got all of the details right here.
Microsoft looks set to showcase the first major update to Windows 8.1 at the BUILD developers conference on the first week of April, but with some weeks to go until the improved release is officially unveiled, an internal leak of Windows 8.1 Update 1 is already upon us. Having trickled out into the wild just a short while ago, some users managed to get the build up and running on their machines by tweaking the registry or downloading patches, but although the registry hack doesn't seem to be working anymore, you can still check out this internal release by grabbing the necessary patches.
We're all firmly in mobile mode with Mobile World Congress kicking off over in Barcelona, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from letting everyone know what the current state of play is when it comes to an update to Windows 8.1, and the new Windows Phone 8.1.
Windows is still, by quite some margin, the big fish in the pond of desktop (and now tablet) operating systems. Yes, many users have struggled to adapt to the touch-focused Windows 8 era and beyond, but while the Redmond still holds a strong position over the likes of OS X and Chrome OS, the company is beginning to feel the heat. Microsoft's recent inaction, such as its late entry into the smartphone and tablet game, are already biting it on the behind as pressure from Apple and Google's respective ecosystems continues to mount, and in order to stave off the competition, the company is to offer discounted Windows 8.1 licenses to manufacturers of low-priced Windows devices.
In what will likely be toasted in tech circles a victory for users, it looks like a forthcoming Windows 8.1 update could boot to the traditional desktop by default, skipping (although not removing) the tiled interface that many have begrudgingly become accustomed to. According to The Verge, which cites sources familiar with Microsoft's OS plans moving forward, the "Metro" (or Modern) landing screen will not greet users upon booting, but can be reinstated within the settings for those who require it.
The Windows Experience Index that was initially introduced in Windows Vista is probably the most basic form of benchmarking that you can get for a Windows based PC. Although Microsoft didn’t really introduce it for benchmarking, but rather, as a measure to determine whether your PC will be able to handle a certain application software or not. However, in modern day computers, Windows Experience Index (WEI) was an easy means of tracking which component was bottlenecking the performance of your machine. With Windows 8.1, however, that was no longer the case.
