On the occasion of the Worldwide Partner Conference 2013 that is taking place in Houston, United States, Microsoft said Windows 8.1 RTM will be available in late August for its OEM partners. schedule is similar to that of windows 8 The preview version is quite close to the final version.This is much more than Beta
Yes, they gave us back the 'Start' button, but not the 'Start' menu! Even on a completely unorganised computer, the start menu at least has some order with folders etc. The Metro/Modern menu on an unorganised computer becomes cluttered with so much crap it basically becomes unusable. Sure, you can neaten things up and just have the icons you want, but since the Metro screen is a representation of the start menu folders anyway, it still isn't any more beneficial that the start menu unless you have a touch screen desktop, which you can quite easily buy. The usefulness of a touch screen desktop however is limited, because once you smudge the screen (oops, meant pressed the icon), you have to use the keyboard and mouse for most useful programs anyway. It actually takes more effort to use the interface! The interface is good on a phone, I actually have a Windows Phone, but it is terrible on a desktop. Now, back to the sorting out of the icons on the Metro/Modern interface to only show the icons you use. Well, sure you can do that, but doesn't that make it just a crappier looking desktop (referring to the tile style)?. If you do this, why not use the desktop mode all the time (and no reason why touch functionality can't work on desktop icons), and even have the ability to move live tiles onto the desktop? Much better presented of course, I can visualise what it could look like and it would be a lot better than what we got currently. My visualisation is also a lot more stylish than the Windows 8/8.1 UI, and I don't mean putting Aero back in to the extent of Windows 7 either. Windows 8 though does bring some good things, with Windows 8.1 expanding on that, just unfortunate the interface isn't one of them. It is still an update that anyone using Windows 8 should definitely install (I am referring to the RTM, not the preview), you would be silly not to.
There's a fundamental difference between a Service Pack and what Windows 8.1 is, as a service pack doesn't include any new features, but bug fixes and such for existing features.
No new features? What about Windows XP SP2? However, I agree, 8.1 is much more than an regular SP. In any case, it's stll just an update, nobody ever claimed that it is a full new OS release, so there are no "disguised" stuff here. Also seems pretty obvious that is going to be public available very short after the RTM announce, if not the same day.
So, we can't call windows 8 RTM a standalone OS? Anyway, we are waiting for the 8.1 RTM to see if it will be like windows 7 SP1, i.e. in respect of performance and stability, etc. M$ is trying to make us believe that Windows 8 + 8.1 = Windows 7 SP1
From my understanding, Windows 8.1 Pro will be both: a standalone OS a Upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 And for sure MS is maybe trying a lot but to try customers believe that Windows 8 + 8.1 are Windows 7 SP1.
Yes, that's what I believe; Windows 8.1 maybe considered a standalone OS hopefully , but, Windows 8 was never
This is just semantics and perhaps my bad english is not enugh. 8.1 is a standalone as much ans W7 SP1 was (u could buy a w7 SP1 DVD and install it on an empty hard disk) However, it is not a full new OS release, a major release, however u call it, it is not XP-Vista-7-8, it is just an update for 8, and its name makes it very clear. It's more than a regula SP but not a full new OS, and MS has never tried to makes us think it is. Now if u are talking about how bad or good it will be... we will know it soon.
Windows 8 was for sure an standalone OS! Nobody was telling that Windows 8.1 is a fully new OS! Same as Windows 7 wasn't either! Windows 7 was just an "extended" Windows Vista as Windows 8.1 is an extended Windows 8. In that regard Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 similar! But to tell that Windows 8.1 is not much more than an regular SP, I would say that isn't true. As we really don't know yet what really will all new in Windows 8.s at the time it's released, there already much more real changes was to classify it as an Service Pack, even not an major Service Pack! All what we could tell right now is only things about what we really have in our hands and that's may much but the final product! That's just my personal thinking, which could be wrong on the end of the day!
Sure, even Windows 7 SP1 has rtm-ed when it was ready. Every product that hits the final version is indeed RTM.